


The Path of Angels and Men

by Noma9



Category: Dragon Quest IX, Dragon Quest Series
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Gen, POV Female Character, POV First Person, POV Original Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-02
Updated: 2017-11-27
Packaged: 2017-12-16 21:02:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 45,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/866569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noma9/pseuds/Noma9
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As mighty Yggdrasil finally bloomed and the Starlight Express appeared in all its glory, the lives of we Celestrians were changed forever. My name is Altairis - the last to be recognized as Guardian of the Protectorate, and on an accidental quest to fix my kinds past mistakes. Join me as I face unfamiliar lands, irrevocable changes and the dark secrets of Angels and Men.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: A First Time For Everything

The peaceful village of Angel Falls is a masterpiece of predictability. As soon as the sun's rays split the horizon and spill out over the little town, the children similarly flood the roads and gardens to either begin their Sunday lessons or play their favorite outdoor games; leaving the women to go diligently about their business. The young men and ladies not yet put to work will spend their time chatting, while hiding bashful smiles and reddened cheeks as they put off their chores about town. Finally, the men will start their long day of labor tending to the animals - just as we Celestrians tend to the humans.

The ways of the people are as simple as their means, and plain living meant little deviation from their near ceaseless routine. It makes easy but unexciting work for some Celestrians when a flock are as reliable as these; their unspoken but understood rules and strong sense of community keeping them ticking ever onward like some organic clockwork. An ecosystem all their own.

The world outside Angel Falls, however, does not share this idyllic nature. The lands beyond are wild, teeming with monsters, providing a constant threat to the vulnerable settlement of humans. Their meager arms and picket walls are little more than decoration, there to comfort the people rather than defend. Instead, the task to make sure they keep their safety for years to come will soon fall upon my shoulders. My very first flock.

I took a long look at the hamlet laid out beneath me and willed my feathered wings to slow to a steady pace as not to betray my nervous excitement. I nearly molted right then and there in surprise as my master suddenly spoke.

"You have come far, Altairis." Master Aquila admitted as we floated high above Angel Falls, overseeing the townsfolk's daily events; each one unfolding as inevitably as the next. "I must confess to having had my doubts when I was told you were to become Guardian of the village in my stead. But its inhabitants' continued peace and safety is proof of your devotion" he said, turning to face me.

He didn't need to confess anything, his doubts in me were always quite clear. "Of course, Master Aquila. I would not so easily wreck what harmony you have wrought here. I am afraid you have trained me far too well for that."

Master Aquila chuffed. "When Apus major bade me, 'Aquila, take Altairis as your apprentice', I never imagined I would see you bloom so. You are worthy of your upcoming title indeed, Altairis, Guardian of Angel Falls."

A smile parted my lips at his words, those that I had never heard him utter before.  _Worthy_ , he had said. I always believed myself to be an exceptionally dedicated student, taking great pains to know, without a doubt, that I never acted in a way to warrant his disappointment in me. But hearing my master actually acknowledge the progress I'd worked so hard to achieve? I felt something wonderfully warm creep into the center of my chest. I was overjoyed.

Before I had time to speak my thanks however, Master Aquila suddenly shifted his watchful stare and an angry, guttural sound escaped his throat. I followed his steely gaze past the town gate far right of us to see travelers approaching the town. I knew them the moment I laid eyes on them; a lovely young girl with hair of amethyst and her doting grandfather slowly shuffling their way down the simple dirt road towards Angel Falls.

"Erinn. . ." I whispered to myself. It was the first of the few mortal names I had bothered to learn, inconvenient as they were for a being who was forbidden from communicating with humans.

It only took a moment for me to see what had alarmed Master Aquila. A group of monsters had wandered close to the town's gate and it didn't take them long to realize Erinn and her grandfather were easy prey for even a small group as theirs. Concealing themselves behind a large boulder not far from the road, the monsters prepared to strike at the hapless villagers the moment they came close.

I felt my body tense and my heart thunder in my chest at the thought of battle, but I knew it couldn't be averted. To protect through whatever means necessary was my job now, and I take my job seriously. There would be no more avoiding this.

"These wicked creatures must not be allowed to ambush innocent members of your flock, Altairis." Master Aquila said, his voice containing a sudden heat that I had come to realize over time was reserved for these mortals he'd grown to admire. "Come, Guardian of Angel Falls, it is time to fulfill our duty as Celestrians!"

I said nothing. With but a single flap of our wings, we found ourselves closing in on the miscreant beasts in no time at all. Regardless, it felt like I had an eternity to dwell on my panicked thoughts.

No matter how intense my weapons training had been, it was all done within the safe walls of our home, the Observatory. I knew these monsters, I had studied each one of them with a fierce curiosity, but now was the first time I ever had reason to engage them. All of the confidence I had earned through my research fled the moment I drew my blade against living flesh, and for the first time I felt uncertain of myself.

But Master Aquila was beside me, his gaze as sharp and unforgiving as an executioners blade; the weight of it pressing me ever forward. I was a  _good_  student and I couldn't bear to lose his hard-won approval, so I clenched my jaw and flew.

The monsters barely had a chance to register our arrival before they retaliated. Unlike humans or Celestrians, they were creatures of pure instinct and energy, when their lives were at stake, those impulses served them well.

Usually.

Master Aquila and I deftly dodged their attacks, taking to the air easily to avoid the spear head of a cruelcumber and the rush of its two slime partners. Diving with an unfair amount of grace for a man as broad as he, Master Aquila cut a slime completely through, mid bound, without so much as a creased brow or drop of sweat glistening from his bald scalp.

Dragging my awed stare away from my teacher, I set my sights back on the prowling cruelcumber. Using my wings, I propelled myself away from another one of its attacks and lashed out in kind, creating a deep cut down its side. My strength alone wasn't enough to finish it in one stroke however, and I inwardly cursed myself for preferring studying to swordplay all my life.

Master Aquila dispatched the remaining slime with an effortless downward swing of his sword, his tanned muscles barely twitching in effort. All that remained now was for me to finish this quick, violent dance.

A flurry of emotions began to stir up inside my heart as I realized the enormity of this moment. This was my chance to truly prove I deserved my new title, to earn a place within my society to be proud of; I needed only pick a course of action. Should I flee backward and allow my master the killing blow as a sign of my respect? Should I show off all I've learned during our training, needlessly drawing the battle out? Or. . .?

As the monster raised its spear against me once more, I made up my mind, took my chance and rushed the beast. Propelling myself forward with as much force my small, white wings would allow me, I rammed my swords edge through the monsters center; its hilt nearly resting against the monsters chest. Blood ran down my blade for the first time. In it I could see my green eyes grow wide, my pale skin and cascade of unruly pink curls ghastly reflected in the dull, dark crimson. I had killed.

Just before the stone tip of its weapon met my neck, the cruelcumber disappeared in a puff of purple smoke - blood, spear and all - Its energy being released back into the ether to coalesce into another being at another time.

Just then I met my masters eyes, and was unsure what I saw there.

"See, Grandpa! There's Angel Falls up ahead." A springy female voice chirped.

Erinn bounded past us not a second before our battle had concluded, blissfully unaware of the former danger.

A soft, trembling voice spoke after her, "I honestly believed I'd never set my tired old eyes on the place again. But here we are at last. Home." Erinn's grandfather wheezed, shambling behind her, desperately trying to keep up and catch his breath at the same time.

"Oh, don't be so melodramatic, Grandpa!" Erinn said, hands at her hips. "The village Guardian will have been watching over us all the way. Nothing bad could ever happen to us." She spoke with such certainty it made me wince. Bowing her head, she then offered up her gratitude, "Benevolent Altairis, thank you for protecting us on our journey."

As Erinn gently took her grandfathers arm and led him to the town gates, a shimmering cerulean flame born of her gratefulness was left in her wake.

I knew Erinn's unshakable faith should have had me swelling with pride, yet it troubled me greatly instead. There was no way to convey it to mortals, but my duty was to the people  _in_  Angel Falls, not of it. Once they left, I would no longer have the resources to watch over them. Though we Celestrians enjoy many gifts, omniscience is reserved for the Almighty alone.

I felt a familiar sense of frustration as I thought of how convenient it would be to interact with the people we were oath-bound to protect, the humans that put so much stock into our very existence. But the holy edict left for us by the Almighty forbade us to reveal ourselves, so I constantly found myself biting my tongue and quieting my countless questions. It was almost painful to deny my inquisitive nature, but I was instructed to regard it as just another trial I must face in our goal to serve Him; that thought brought only a small relief to my distress, but it would have to be enough.

"Behold, Altairis. Benevolessence." Master Aquila spoke softly as he walked up behind me, his voice full of wonder.

Taking a deep breath, I set my thoughts aside and beckoned the flame towards me as I had seen my master do countless times before. As I felt its gentle warmth between my palms, I cradled it dearly against my chest until it solidified into the precious jewel we so needed. Just beneath its smooth, glassy surface I could feel a riot of emotions. A soft kindness, a deep love; Joy, happiness and thankfulness concentrated into a mass of positive energy that threatened to unmake my very being. Those feelings the mortals generated for us surged through the stone and sparked against my skin. This was our most precious resource. Holding the Benevolessence for the first time, I finally understood why.

Master Aquila gazed thoughtfully at the gem in my hands. "The crystallization of the mortals' gratitude towards we who watch over them. As Celestrians, our cardinal duty is the offering up of this sacred substance unto mighty Yggdrasil, the Great World Tree." he said, gently reminding me that the jewel was not mine to keep.

A weak agreement was all I could manage in reply. The intensity of the sentiments inside the crystal made my own feel subdued in comparison. Suddenly, I feared letting it go; knowing that in its absence, I would feel helplessly empty. It was like a sudden burst of color in my world of gray; a world I didn't know I was living in until now.

Laying a strong, rough hand on my shoulder, Master Aquila broke me free of my reverie. "Come, Altairis. Let us return to the Observatory, that you may make your offering."

Without another word we lifted into the air and began our journey back home. I clutched the Benevolessence close to my heart as we soared through the veil between the Protectorate and the Observatory, hoping to soak its magic into my skin.


	2. Contrast

Once the Observatory was in our sights, a wave of calming relief washed over me. I had been patrolling and training below without rest for so long now that I had nearly forgotten how beautiful the place truly was. Carved completely out of light, golden flecked stone granted to us by The Almighty, the Observatory consisted of multiple tiers connected by massive columns and held together by a central tower. Since the skies are our true home, there was very little that wasn't open to the air or had large apertures in which Celestrians could easily fly through. The outermost sections were carpeted in greenery and dotted with small, well manicured trees; not a single leaf left out of place. The structure set atop a thin, floating island nestled in the heavens, veiled from mortal eyes. It was as ancient and sturdy as those that dwelled within; it was my home, a sight nearly too sweet for Master Aquila and I after being away so long for the zenith of my training.

Though the entrance we needed was found underneath the base of the island, it was not uncommon for any Celestrian returning home to soar high above it instead. We took this small detour just to get a glimpse of Yggdrasil, the sacred tree that grew proud atop our home, dazzling like an array of verdant jewels. As I gazed down upon the small field where She stood, I reminded myself today would be the first time I would be allowed direct access to Her. Knowing that numbed the pain of giving up those fleeting human emotions trapped within the Benevolessence I carried. After a quiet moment had passed, the two of us dipped below the floating rock base of the Observatory and flew up through a portal that led into the heart of our home.

The main hall was buzzing with its usual activity. Apprentice Celestrians flew overhead, looking harried and slightly desperate; they zipped back and forth from their various dormitories toting tomes, ledgers and various other articles around like mortal pack mules, all of which no doubt needed in their studies or requested by their respective masters. The low roar of assorted chatter was accompanied by the cheerful gurgle of water spouting from the large, cerulean Wing-Halo statues adorning every corner of our palace - reminders of our perfect Celestrian form.

It was a much different place from Angel Falls - nearly its antithesis in many ways - but when I closed my eyes, the mixture of sound and water made the two locations feel incredibly similar for that brief second. Something about that thought tugged at my heart; perhaps I was finally becoming as attached to the mortal realm as master Aquila was.

"As you should well know," he said suddenly, turning towards me, "the first task a guardian must perform upon returning from the Protectorate is to report to Apus Major. As unchanging as the North Star, you shall find him in the Great Hall."

I gave him a knowing smile. "I am not so hopeless as to forget where to always find my old master. But will you not be reporting with me as usual?"

He shook his head. "I have other matters to attend to. You must excuse me." He said as he walked away, so briskly he was nearly running.

I frowned. It was odd for Master Aquila not to see procedure all the way through. Typically, he insisted on keeping a scrutinizing eye on me whenever I gave a report or did anything that might reflect on him and his teaching. In fact, I scarcely had a moments privacy since I had become his apprentice. After all our recent training together - his meticulous and unbending nature the only company I've had - it felt strange not to feel his glare boring into the back of my head. Perhaps he was accepting that I had earned an independent role among our kind. Maybe that was what I saw in his eyes earlier, acceptance. Small wonder I couldn't identify it.

Just then, someone spoke to me. "Welcome home, Altairis. You have just returned from the Protectorate, I take it?"

I jumped a little in surprise before spinning around to greet the woman behind me. It had been a while since we had last spoke, but I would always recognize the honey rich voice of the Celestrian I considered mother.

If the Observatory was a sight for sore eyes, then Deneb was even more so. All of my life she has looked the same; her swaths of silky viridian hair were tied back in a deceptively simple bun that she always managed to make look like the epitome of elegance, her red and silver gate keeper uniform was tailored to perfection and positively spotless. Her large white wings almost dwarfed her lean frame, and though she had lived lifetimes before I was even created, not a single line of age marred her perpetually youthful face.

"Deneb!" I exclaimed as we shared a short embrace, "Yes, I am finally home. And look! I have brought back my first Benevolessence." I said, presenting the glowing crystal in my hands.

She gasped as she touched the glassy exterior of the stone, no doubt feeling the surge of energies within."That is most wonderful, my daughter! You must go at once and report this to Apus Major. He will be as proud as I am, to be sure." she smiled, her dark eyes glittering.

"Oh, but I have so much I want to talk to you about. It has been so long since I have had decent company- _ooh_ , and I had my first real battle today and everything!" I pleaded.

Deneb's deep laugh rang pleasantly throughout the large hall. "That kind of news is far more exciting for someone like your brother than it is for me, worried as I have been! Besides, you must not keep the elder waiting; he has been most anxious for your return."

"Yes, I suppose you are right." I sighed. "Though honestly I am more concerned with what lecture Master Aquila would have in store for me if he caught me relaxing for a mere second."

Deneb stifled a small giggle and smiled in sympathy. "All the more reason for you to hurry on your way. As much as I respect Aquila, I cannot stand his squawking. Save us both from its cacophony. "

I made no effort to repress my bout of laughter as I said my farewell and began to make my way through the familiar space I had been missing so much. Deneb's frank and earnest nature was a refreshing change from the strict master-apprentice relationship I had been bound to since I had left. It renewed the appreciation that I had for my family and set me at ease.

Though she didn't give birth to me in the way mortal mothers do their children, the woman I called mother and the boy I claimed as brother were indeed special to me in a way greater than the other Celestrians were, and I have spent my entire existence by their sides. I learned from them, trained with them, studied and communed with them. Every important facet of my life has been permeated by their knowledge, humor and smiles; we were as close to family as Celestrians could manage, and few of our kind ever try. Born from stars, we have no true relatives, we have only the relationships we forge ourselves. I have always believed that looked at that way, they were even more precious than the mortal bonds forced by blood.

I looked again at the Benevolessence in my hands, feeling those strange human emotions tingle against my fingertips. We may not feel in quite the same ways humans do, but we can still care and grow attachments to one another. That fact begged the question, how fundamentally different were we really?

"Altairis!" A voice called out to me, breaking me away from my introspection.

I looked to my right and recognized the woman who had beckoned me. Dusty blue hair was piled atop her head in a mess of pins, and she wore the tell-tale white and gold uniform of the many Celestrians who never set foot outside of the Observatory, preferring instead to see to the upkeep of our home rather than do field work -- a fate I had nearly resigned myself to before Apus Major intervened. The stone jawed male sitting across from her wore the guardians garb like myself, minus an apprentices badge.

"Altairis, is it true that mortals cannot see us Celestrians?" the woman inquired as I got close.

"Indeed, it is true. For some reason they are the only manner of creature who cannot discern our presence when we don our halos. If we removed them maybe then the mortals could see us, but of course that is against law. Although I understand wandering human spirits can-"

"Truly? So they do not see us, even if we stand right before their eyes? What feeble beings!" she sneered.

I frowned. "Feeble indeed. But is that not why we were given the task to protect them?"

The blond Celestrian scoffed. "I work hard to drive off monsters and perform other service for those I am charged with protecting as a Guardian. But they offer up not the slightest thanks. Is there really any need to watch over these ungrateful mortals? I have my doubts."

I balked at his words. "To doubt what holy task we were given is to doubt the Almighty Himself. You, as my senior, know that far better than I do."

Now it was the woman's turn to laugh; a gratingly high pitched sound. "Oh my! Do you not just adore youth? It is a small wonder how the apprentice of both our Apus Major and resident stick in the mud, Aquila, became so self-righteous."

I felt my voice harden as I spoke. "Call me what you like, but you do not guard over the mortals as I have chosen to do or as he has chosen to do, " I said, gesturing to the crestfallen Guardian, "So who are you to speak of the pride I have in my work or the dedication I have in looking after my flock?"

There was silence. The blonde simply nodded his head numbly.

"Now if you will excuse me, I must report to Apus Major." I said as I spun on my heel and left.

I could only faintly hear the biting, derisive comments made as I took my leave of them, but the situation had me worried. It was true that many of the Guardians were finding it more and more difficult to watch over their flock, mostly due to the upsurge in monsters. The more monsters there were, the harder it was for Guardians to protect the mortals and still perform all the smaller duties to keep them happy. Without those smaller gestures being done, mortals become less and less thankful and begin to try the patience of Celestrians. That fact coupled with all the other moral burdens that come with being the superior creature made the attitude in the Observatory considerably dimmer than when I had left. Still, in all of our libraries and studies there are books written by the most senior of Celestrians, passing down the sacred edict given to them by the Almighty when He still dwelled among us. 'We Celestrians are a gift to mankind', they say. Who are we to argue? No matter how tedious they become, we must always press on in our protection of humankind. It is our purpose, and nothing beyond that can matter.

When I emerged from the stairs and into the Great Hall, a sense of excitement consumed my musings as I remembered just why it was I had came there.

The Great Hall wasn't any less busy than the floor below, but there was a different breed of activity here -- scholars and students looking for books or a chance to get away from their masters often found themselves quietly frequenting the massive library to the west, and tired Celestrians fresh from combat training went to check their weapons in at the armory to the east. All in all, it was a far more hushed sort of bustling, which was probably why Apus Major spent so much of his time here; it was central but not overwhelming.

As I approached the seat the elder normally took, I realized he was instead on the large balcony behind it, wistfully gazing out into the sky around us. It wasn't too surprising to see the ancient Celestrian spending his time outside, just staring.

When I was his personal apprentice, before he asked Master Aquila to train me for Guardianship instead, he often made me complete my studies outdoors just so he had an excuse for some fresh air. He admitted to me that he dearly missed his days soaring down into the Protectorate himself and that his duties as our leader in the Almighty's absence left him with little time to take flight when he felt like it.

I debated whether or not I should bother him. On one hand, I knew he was expecting me and it was my job to report back right away. On the other hand, I was already late and he looked so peaceful. His long white beard whipped about in the gentle breeze as he clasped his large, gnarled, working man's hands behind his back. His fine, forest green and vermilion robes draped around his short, stocky body almost like a beloved blanket and I could see the profile of a small, contended smile resting on his wrinkled face.

Though the idea of ignoring orders rankled my already sore post-training nerves, I gave into my debatably better nature and decided to leave him to his leisure as I took a quick peek into the library. I knew Columba would be there, and where I would find Columba, I was almost certain to find her apprentice, my brother. I might as well stop by and let him know I returned safely and show off my Benevolessence before I offered it to Yggdrasil. Though technically older than I, Gallus was still a fledging. Child-like in body and demeanor, he was relegated to library busy work even though he dreamed of Guardianship. Surely, the least a good sibling could do is share news of their coveted adventures.

As I wandered the aisles of the massive library, enjoying the unique smell of so much bound paper in one place, I heard a cooing female voice from the back of the room and recognized it as Columba's. I hurried towards the sound, through rows of towering, ornate shelves, assuming she spoke with my brother. It was not until I neared the back corner where she kept her personal desk that I realized she spoke to my master instead.

Disappointed and worried I would suffer a tirade if found, I began to turn back and let them continue uninterrupted whatever pointless disagreement they were having this time. Until I heard just who it was they were discussing.

"I was surprised to hear of Altairis' promotion. I did not expect you to permit it so soon." Columba said tentatively, obviously probing for a reaction.

"You assume too much, Columba. I also believe it is too soon for her to take on a Guardianship. It was Apus Major's decision."

The breath stilled in my lungs and I felt as though time itself slowed. What was he saying? I edged closer to where they were standing until I could see them, my feet heavier with each step.

Columba giggled, absentmindedly twirling a curly strand of her thick mauve hair that had sprung free of her braided pig tails. "Indeed? How amusing! I might have known."

"It is no laughing matter." Aquila snapped. "Altairis is but a fledgling. What if something were to happen in the Protectorate?"

I could feel searing, angry heat quickly well beneath my cheeks as I clenched my fists, digging my nails into my palms. The utter outrage I felt threatened to burn me to ash where I stood _._ A _fledging?_ I was an impeccable student! An accomplished Celestrian for my age, and even for those older than I! I had spent every recent waking hour proving myself to him!  
  
He had only just told me I was worthy. . . how could he lie about that?

"Do you forget the tragedy of Corvus so soon?" he continued.

Columba's playful smile faded and she began running her palms over the front of her mint green dress, nervously smoothing out wrinkles that weren't there. "Hmph. No, of course not, but. . . we have been forbidden to talk of that matter here in the Observatory, have we not?"

Aquila made no reply. It was then that Columba took notice of me standing off to the side of them, agape. "Ah, more esteemed company it seems."

Aquila turned to look, an utterly foreign expression of shock on his chiseled, angular face. "Altairis! H-How long have you been standing there?"

"Far longer than I was meant to. . .  _master_." I meant for my words to come out as a snarl, but instead they hissed out of me as an angry whisper barely audible over the monologue of rage in my head.

A heavy silence hung between us as I stared him down, begging the weary tears welling within my eyes to stay out of it.

"Congratulations on being appointed Guardian, Altairis." Columba chimed, trying to break the tension. "Of course, I never doubted you. You are Aquila's hand-picked apprentice, after all. To be chosen by one who refused for so long to take on a pupil speaks volumes of your ability."

Who did she think she was kidding? Of all the four people who knew he didn't actually pick me for an apprentice, three of them were standing right here.

"Why do you stand idle, Altairis?" Master Aquila belted at me. "I see you have yet to make your report to Apus Major. Do you really wish to keep him waiting? Make haste." he demanded, looking at the Benevolessence I clutched angrily in my fist. His voice was cold and unrepentant. Completely dismissive of what I was feeling.

That broke me.

"As you wish, master! Let us hope the path leading outside this room is not too dangerous for a simple fledgling like me to navigate! Ha!" My voice was uncomfortably shrill and hysterical as I spoke.

Some still sane part of me begged myself not to speak to my master this way, but the anger exploding inside my chest wouldn't let me stop. "Almighty knows that someone so unfit as I could be felled by a single paper cut! Surely my hard work and your counsel mean nothing in the face of my intense mediocrity and unworthiness!"

"Altairis-!" Aquila's face twisted in fury but I would not be silenced.

"You lied!" I screamed. "I never expected you to be forthcoming with praise and I had a feeling that my promotion was at the behest of Apus Major, but you did not have to feed me false compliments! I could stand your lack of confidence in my progress so long as I was not completely ignored, but to pretend you were impressed? To hand me the small amount of commendation I desired, no, that I deserved! And not mean it! I. . . I just!" The tears came then, hot and stinging, and I darted away, refusing to bear my weaknesses further.

I shuddered as I slammed the door to the library behind me, choking back a few embarrassed sobs. Aquila was sure to be furious with me, but I knew Columba would pacify him easily enough. She had a way with him that few could understand, myself included. Still, I felt drenched in shame. For any Celestrian to act that way towards a superior was unacceptable. More than anything though, I was surprised just how deeply I was hurt by Aquila's lies. I knew I wanted his approval and I worked hard to that end, but it wasn't the all encompassing reason for my dedication. Realizing he never believed in me at all, however, had dredged up a wealth of self-doubt.

Taking a few deep breaths and wiping at my eyes, I drifted over to one of the large mirrors decorating the upper walls of the Great Hall. I was afraid to look, scared my green eyes would have the betraying signs of tears, but when I glanced at myself, I relaxed. Though my eyes were a little blemished and my face a bit flushed, I looked more or less my usual unkempt self. Tightening my ponytail of unruly curls and rolling the tension out of my shoulders, I dove down towards the balcony Apus Major stood upon.

"Greetings Apus Major. Celestrian Altairis, apprentice of Aquila reporting back. I humbly apologize for my tardiness!" I said as I knelt in reverence before him.

Apus Major turned towards me and his gentle smile widened. "Well met, Altairis, apprentice of Aquila." He bade me to stand and I complied. "Welcome back. I trust your absence has not been so lengthy that you forget your old master?"

I returned his smile, though I didn't truly feel it. "It has been a long time to be sure, but it would take eternities to make me forget you."

Apus Major had an incredibly easy way about him. His warmth and openly kind personality was distinct from the other Celestrians I knew, and it was an almost shocking contrast to someone like Aquila.

"Apart from being happy to be home, I would like to report that all is well at Angel Falls. There was a slight disturbance outside of the town gates but it was nothing too difficult to handle and no mortals were harmed or even aware of the danger, sir."

"My congratulations on successfully completing your first task as a Guardian, Altairis. You have preformed your duties well thus far, albeit under Aquila's watchful gaze."

I knew he meant no harm to my feelings, but the reminder of Aquila watching my every move and apparently finding me unready, stung.

"But the time has come for you to spread your own wings. What say you? Are you ready to undertake your duties alone and accept the position as Guardian?" Apus Major asked suddenly.

Be rid of Aquila? I would like that very much at the moment. But I knew this was not a decision to be made on a rush of undesired emotions. After taking some time to mull over my thoughts and take stock of all that has happened to bring me here, I quashed my lingering doubts and formed my answer carefully.

"As you know, Apus Major, it was you who originally set me on this path to becoming a Guardian, and I have trained tirelessly under you and master Aquila to make you proud. I believe you both have given me the technical knowledge I need in order to properly tend to my flock. But I have come to realize that knowledge alone, no matter how vast, is simply not enough. It takes a level of natural ability to be able to carry out the duties that a Guardian must, and even in my doubt, today I discovered I do indeed meet the qualifications. I also know that despite my knowledge and skill and desire for this position that I am in no way better equipped for the job than master Aquila is. I am both terribly inexperienced and terribly afraid of that fact. Sometimes I believe I am ready for this duty and other times I find myself wallowing in self pity due to my own lack of confidence. And when it comes down to it, I honestly do not know if I am ready yet."

I paused and readied myself for my next couple of statements. Apus Major's face gave away nothing, so I continued to push forward.

"I do know, however, that more than anything I have mentioned thus far, that the most important thing for a Guardian to be capable of is dedication to their responsibility, care for their flock and a desire to hold the sacred decree given by the Almighty in the highest place in their heart. Today I realized that there is nothing I would be more proud of than being a true Guardian. Not because of the respect I could then garner from my fellow Celestrians or even for some sense of self-importance, but because I know that I truly. . . feel strongly for the mortals in the Protectorate and that my desire is to not just protect them and make them happy, but to actually understand them and I believe that makes me far more suited for Guardianship that any single Celestrian here! So yes, Apus Major! I would like nothing more than to spread my wings and follow our sacred duty to the best of my ability."

Apus Major said nothing for what seemed like an eternity and I quickly began to feel like a fool for not just simply saying "Yes!"

And then he started laughing.

"Oho ho ha! Despite what you say, you seem quite confident from where I stand, Guardian Altairis. Very good. Build your confidence while you are young, experience will come as you age." His smile radiated at me and I felt tears begin to form in my eyes once more, only this time, they were born of relief and joy.

"Thank you very much, sir! You will never be able to regret putting your faith in me."

"I do not doubt that!" he said, cheerily griping my shoulder and shaking my hand. "And so we come to the next of your duties. I believe you have acquired a crystal of Benevolessence, have you not? The essence of mortal gratitude."

"Yes sir, I have kept it close to my heart at all times."

"As well you should," his joyful face suddenly serious, "it will sustain you as a Guardian when your duties feel more like trials. Now, you must offer it unto the Great World Tree, Yggdrasil, who shelters us with Her nurturing boughs from atop the Observatory. She will soon bear fruit at last. Go now, and do as I have instructed."

I nodded and took flight from the balcony, Benevolessence tight in hand, landing on the outside of the upper structure of the Observatory. The path to Yggdrasil was mostly just stairs, though there was a small inner chamber near the base of Her roots where many an apprentice would spend their time communing with Her the only way they could. I was very familiar with the place.

I walked towards the guard at the topmost set of stairs. "Hello there. Apus Major has sent me to offer this Benevolessence unto mighty Yggdrasil." I said, holding up the crystal as proof.

The guard nodded. "Then you may pass." he replied, stepping out of my way. "I must say, I feel the day when the holy Fyggs will bloom and set us on our course back to the Realm of the Almighty dawning closer with each offering."

"Apus Major himself said the time is soon to be upon us. . . hard to imagine a life where we would not be bound to watch over the mortals. I wonder what would become of them when we leave?" I pondered. I had never really thought about what it would mean for those in the Protectorate for us to join the Almighty.

The guard shrugged. "Who knows? The great thing would be that it would no longer be of our concern!"

I politely smiled and continued up the stairs. An odd feeling nagged at me as I thought about the prophecy coming to fruition. Sadness? Disappointment at the very least. Despite what it would mean for Yggdrasil to bear fruit, I was quite disheartened to think that my job as Guardian would be over so soon. How silly.

I carefully climbed each step as I continued my trek upwards. The stairs were technically unnecessary for us to use, but it was tradition to take them anyway. Traveling by foot was to remind us that approaching Yggdrasil carelessly or arrogantly was criminal, and instead, we should all think of it as a journey. We had to work for our right to see Her and I savored every step.

Once I reached my destination, I gasped.

At the top of the stairs was the very meadow I had seen from the sky, time and again. Up close, I could see how it was blanketed with a multitude of tiny, brilliantly white flowers, and ringed by impressive monuments -- the perfect form of Celestrians carved within each one. In the very center stood Yggdrasil.

She was strong and beautiful. Her massive leafy boughs danced along the wind and stirred the atmosphere with a power so ancient its presence pressed against my senses. Moss grew greedily up her trunk and every blade of grass before Her bent toward Her in worship. I was inclined to do the same. She was everything and I could barely comprehend Her.

I took a few hesitant steps forward until I suddenly found myself running into Her shade; preternaturally cool and comforting. It was there that I offered up to Her the Benevolessence I had been holding so dear. As I held the crystal toward Her, it floated gently from my hands and up towards Yggdrasil's canopy. There the glassy surface broke and the cerulean flames within spread over Her, but as they licked their way up Her branches, She consumed them instead. Not a moment later, the gentle shimmering of Her leaves exploded into a show of light. Sparkles fell from Her boughs and her entire body glowed brighter and brighter, forcing my head down to protect my eyes. The very air became heavy, threatening to crush my lungs with its weight. And yet, my entire body felt as insubstantial as a speck of dust in a hurricane or a pebble swept away by the sea. I was a being of pure contradiction; wholly unworthy of Her grace yet drenched in the very same. A pauper wearing the Queens crown. It was as frightful as it was beautiful, then as quickly as it had happened, it stopped.

"Behold, Altairis. . ." a familiar voice said. "Is Yggdrasil, unto who we offer the Benevolessence we gather, not truly beautiful?"

Once I could breathe again, I stood and turned towards Aquila who, in this moment of perfection, I could not bring myself to despise. "More so than my imagination ever permitted me to believe. Especially as she took in the Benevolessence."

Aquila looked no more pleased or unhappy as usual and I knew his being here was proof he had got his feelings about what I said earlier under control. I only hoped I could say the same for myself.

As he came closer, we both gazed up at the World Tree. "Gathering and offering up Benevolessence is the most sacred duty with which we Guardians are charged. I trust you will perform your duties well, Altairis, Guardian of Angel Falls."

A small portion of approval. It wasn't enough to erase the hurt I had felt before, but it was more than I thought I'd ever receive after the way I acted, so I smiled in return. "Your trust in me will not be misplaced, master Aquila."

"I have been thinking, Altairis, Guardian of Angel Falls. . . To address you as 'Guardian of Angel Falls' is both convoluted and inconvenient. You will henceforth allow me to use this form of address only when formality dictates, I take it?"

I pretended to think about it. "Hm, it is very convoluted, truly. I also think I would feel quite silly being addressed with such a lengthy title all of the time. You may address me as you always have."

"Good. It is well that you succumb to my recommendation so readily, my pupil. As you are aware, the law forbids a Celestrian to oppose a superior."

I felt my brow crease in frustration. "Knowing that, I wonder how much of a recommendation you really make. It all comes across far more like a command from where I sit."

I didn't appreciate the reiteration of our relationship he was making just to punish me for my behavior before. At the very least he could acknowledge that I do in fact have reasons for agreeing with him.

Aquila ignored me. "Go to Apus Major and tell him of the successful completion of your task."

I stalked away without a word as he stayed behind with Yggdrasil.

I expected to feel hollow after giving up the Benevolessence and I wasn't completely wrong. I did indeed feel drained without it, but in its place I felt a sense of pride and accomplishment within me that I suspected would not leave me so soon. Dwelling on this, I smiled and made my way back to Apus Major.


	3. Mutual Understanding

I returned to Apus Major and spoke with him at length about my visit to Yggdrasil. His eyes shone with a youthful zeal as he recalled his own experiences with Her, and it touched my heart to see him passionate about it even after all these years. It was then that I knew I would always have this feeling with me, no matter what happened -- even if the Fyggs themselves bloomed tomorrow and whisked us away to the Almighty Himself, I'd always know this sense of fulfillment.

Renewed by my visit to The World Tree, I declined Apus Major's invitation to stay at the Observatory awhile to relax. I was too full of energy, I had to go back to the Protectorate and serve my purpose; I had to see Her again. I hesitated only briefly, still wanting to catch up with my brother, but I would see Gallus when I came back. And with me, I'd bring the biggest piece of Benevolessence yet.  

As I made my way back to the portal I had arrived through earlier, I realized it wasn't just my own excitement I was feeling; the entire Observatory was humming. All around me I heard the same thing: 'The time of fruition was soon to come'. With the dreams of my people in mind, I dove into the portal and found myself soaring rapidly towards my new home of Angel Falls.

The view from above the falls was enchanting in its simplicity. All the town really consisted of was two halves split by the river from the waterfall, connected by a series of little bridges anchored to a spit of land between them. None the less, it held its own special charm.

Landing on the small island in the middle of town, I overheard two of the young village men speaking to each other. Both were still slim with youth but with enough muscle and jaw definition to act like they were grown. One was dark blonde with impressively tall hair, a small leather guard protected his heart while he wore a dagger close to his waist. The other was a squirrely looking thing in green, with fluffy yellow bangs nearly obscuring his eyes. Both had lightly tanned skin from a life playing outdoors, and enough scuffs on their boots and patches on their cloths to prove that hadn't changed. Excited to learn more about my flock, I listened in.

"It really is weird. . ." the tall-haired boy mused, hand on his chin and eyes boring into the ground.

"What's weird, Ivor?" the other boy chirped, "You mean that name thingy on the Guardian statue?"

'Ivor' dropped his hand to his hip and glared at his friend. "Of course I mean that name thingy, Hugo, you dolt! I'm sure it said 'Aqui-' something before. But now it's 'Altairis'. . ."

I was surprised. It was very rare to hear of any mortal noticing our magic, and a quick change of names on a statue was an especially subtle sort of thing. Only someone particularly clever and observant of our ways would ever realize something was different.

"Really? Well it's said 'Altairis' for as long as I can remember." Hugo replied.

"And how long is that, exactly? Do you remember reading it before?"

Hugo stopped, scratching nervously at his mess of hair. "Er. . . I. . . That's funny. . .  I, I can't say that I do."

Ivor threw his hands up. "You see! Everyone around here's weird. It's only just changed, and everyone thinks it's been like that forever."

"Ah-ha! It must be the work of the village Guardian, then!" Hugo exclaimed.

Ivor scoffed, his face a portrait of smug self-satisfaction. "Don't be such a wally! There's no such thing as Guardians. They're just made-up rubbish."

I rolled my eyes. Perhaps 'Clever' was too generous an assessment. Still, he gained a keen eye through his skepticism, and that was not something to ignore.

"It's only Erinn who believes in all that nonsense." Ivor continued. "She's a complete airhead, if you ask me."

Hugo shot his friend a small smile, "I've asked you about Erinn plenty, and I recall you thinking something _very_ different."

Ivor nearly exploded. Face red as a tomato and voice shrill as a bat, he denied ever thinking about the girl before in his life.

As they bickered, I became lost in my own thoughts, as what Ivor said made me wonder. Would I face the same issues the other Celestrians have been complaining about? Would I grow bitter at my flock if they stopped thanking me for every little thing? And how could I win the heart of those too foolish to believe?

Just then, Hugo said something that caught my attention. "So what do you think of those ghost rumors?"

Ivor scoffed. "If I'm not fool enough to believe in a stinkin' Guardian what makes you think I'd buy into a bunch of hooey about ghost hauntings?"

The two of them turned their conversation to fishing as they walked off towards the other side of the river, leaving me concerned.

If there really was a lost human spirit roaming the town at night troubling my flock, then I'd have to do something about it. The problem was, I had never got to practice putting souls to rest before, never even seen it done. So what was I to do?

I silently cursed Aquila's insufficient teachings and then scolded myself for being so unfair. He hadn't felt it right to let me go on my own so soon and perhaps this was part of the reason why. I felt ashamed realizing that I'd never considered that maybe Aquila was right in his opinions about me. So much for believing I had all the technical knowledge needed; my very first day alone on the job and I'd already hit a wall. With a sigh, I pushed it from my mind and set about the duties I _could_ handle.

As I explored the town I found myself too distracted to be anxious. Each mortal I ran across was in need of something; from finding lost jewelry to general manual labor, I just didn't have time to worry about what I couldn't do or change. And with each crystal of Benevolessence harvested, I felt I had less and less to be concerned with anyway. It seemed Ivor was an oddity, and the people of the village were in fact quite pious. With each new gem, I felt I understood my flock better and better as every persons Benevolessence felt different from the last; some feelings so subtle they defied description, but holding them in my hands, I understood them on a fundamental level.

Setting the newest piece of glowing crystal gently into a makeshift pouch tied round my waist, I noticed a familiar figure floating over the town. Instantly annoyed, I flew upwards to meet him. "Aquila."

He turned and considered me for a moment before speaking. "You are taking your new role very seriously, I am glad to see, Altairis."

I folded my arms across my chest, mirroring his own stance. "Of course I am, they are my flock after all. Which begs the question of what it is your doing here exactly."

"What is it? You feel that your old master does not trust you to work alone?"

I raised an eyebrow. Did he really need to ask that question in light of everything else that's happened?

Aquila turned away from me and looked outward over the plains and mountains, towards the rest of the world far beyond Angel Falls. "It is my duty now to patrol the entire Protectorate. Though you guard it well, I must sometimes revisit my old territory." He turned back towards me, "And as I am here, Altairis. . . There is one last lesson I must teach you. As Guardians, it is our duty to tend to our mortal flock. But this means more than merely watching over the living. Sometimes we must help those who have passed away, but whose souls continue to roam the land."

I felt my face heat up as I realized what he was really doing here. What an idiot I was. Despite his undesired task of teaching me, he still did it to the best of his ability. Even now, after I had treated him so unappreciatively, he was still here, determined to make me prepared. He didn't want to put the flock he cared for in  ill-equipped hands and he didn't want me to feel foolish either.

"You hear it, too, do you not? The voice of a wandering soul here in the village in need of your assistance. . ."

"Er. . . yes, Master Aquila. I think I. . . oh!" I said, spotting an unfamiliar man standing on the far side of town looking over the water, moonlight shining through his incorporeal form.

Still unsure of exactly what my task consisted of, but unwilling to face my master in my embarrassment, I dove down to engage the man.

"Hmph! wot's wrong wiv people 'round 'ere nowadays? Whys everyone givin' me the cold shoulder?" The ghost man asked himself.

"Uh, hi." I said dimly.

The confused man turned and regarded me with relief. "Eh? Oh, someone who's prepared to gimme the time o' day at last! Listen 'ere. Can you tell me 'ow come everyone's ignorin' me?"

My heart sank. How do you tell someone they're dead?

I stumbled over my words. "Ah, well. . . Er, you see. . . Well what I am pretty sure is happening--"

The man's eyes grew wide as his sights rested on my halo, then lowered to my wings. ". . .'Ang on a minute. . . W-Wot's wiv that get-up, eh? Y-You ain't a. . . Oh, my days, you are! Yer a Celestrian, ain'tcha?"

"Well, yes. Yes I am."

"So I've. . . I'm already. . . I've breaved me last, is it? Go on, you can tell me. I can take it! That's wot's 'appened, innit?"

I sighed. "It appears that is exactly what has, uh, 'appened. I do not know precisely how it occurred but, I am sorry sir, you are dead."

The ghost man took a short moment to gather himself before speaking again. "Well, cheers for bein' straight wiv me, Miss, er. . .Celestrian. It's a good fing you told me. When I thought everyone was just ignorin' me, I was about ready to do meself in anyway!" The man laughed a surprisingly hardy laugh for a wandering spirit.

"Oh. Ahaha. . . ha?" I awkwardly replied.

"But now I know wot's wot, I can just get on wiv it and. . . Well you know. Rest in peace an' all that."

I cleared my throat nervously. "Ah, yes. I suppose you can. . . right?"

My fears receded as the man closed his eyes and gently flowed out into the ether, leaving behind a roaring flame of Benevolessence. I let out a long held breath of relief, my first talk with a mortal and it had been like. . . _that_. I wasn't sure what to think.

"You have done well, Altairis. Thanks to your intervention, a mortal soul has made its peace, and is now at rest." Aquila said as he landed next to me.

"Thank you, Master Aquila. I did not realize all it took was lending them an ear. But look at this!" I showed him the heavy crystal that now lay in my hands, shining brightly in the night.

He smiled and it lit up his face, making him almost unrecognizably boyish. "The Benevolessence of a departed soul shines more brilliantly than any and brings with it a great sense of accomplishment."

I agreed enthusiastically, suddenly feeling better than I had in a long time. "Master Aquila? I must thank you."

He looked confused. "What for?"

I nervously shuffled my feet and did my best to not look away as I spoke. "I have been acting very foolish lately and yet you still showed up tonight knowing that I would need support. You came here even though you knew I would be angry at you for it, all because you knew it would be better for me and for the mortals I care for. You are a truly great teacher and I apologize for acting so ungrateful earlier today. I am. . . sorry."

The confusion drained from Aquila's face and he closed his eyes.

I waited a moment in uncertainty, praying he would say something and finally, just as I felt a renewed sense of embarrassment growing inside me, he began forming his words steadily.

"I am not very adept at speaking with those so much younger and more. . . _expressive_ than I. I am even less able to convey the emotions I feel within myself outwardly in a proper manner." Opening his eyes, Aquila continued with more ease. "Because I have failed to express myself properly, I feel I have done you a disservice as my apprentice. Though it is true that I took you on at the behest of Apus Major, I have greatly enjoyed the challenges that came with teaching you and reveled in the mutual triumphs of your learning. I did not mean to offend you with my doubts for they were not directed at you. I believed you unready because I doubted myself." Aquila's face took on a pained expression.

"But why, master?"

Though clearly uncomfortable, he continued on anyway. "I had never taken an apprentice before and was unsure of my ability to properly teach you. I would never have been able to forgive myself if you had gotten hurt because I failed to properly train you. And I have failed you in that I withheld my feelings and let you believe yourself inadequate when that was not the truth. In spite of all this you still have triumphed -- I did not lie when I said I was surprised to see you bloom so, Altairis. So you need not seek forgiveness for your outburst, instead, it is I that must say I am sorry."

The uncertainty inside me evaporated as a bevy of new emotions plagued me. I had needed to hear those words so badly, and was relieved to have them said now. I also wanted my master to regain the confidence he had always projected before. It was unnerving for his facade to slip and see that underneath he was as vulnerable as any of us. Above all, I wanted to let him know how grateful I really was. Unsure of how to say any of that, I kept silent and hugged him instead. I only hoped my feelings could seep from my skin and soak into his, for he was not the only one who had trouble expressing himself.

After everything between us was well again, we spent a few minutes talking about more lighthearted things, something that we had never been quite capable of before. Eventually we agreed that I should hurry back to the Observatory with the Benevolessence I had acquired, after all, some things come first and we'd have all the time in the world to talk once we joined the Almighty.

"Then I shall bid you farewell for now." Master Aquila said. "I have much to do here in the Protector -- Hm?"

Following master Aquila's gaze upward, we spotted an intensely bright golden light streaking through the sky in the shape of a train. I had only seen drawn pictures and heard excited descriptions, but I instantly knew what it was; The celestial carriage said to bring us to the Realm of the Almighty. "Isn't that. . . ?"

"The Starflight Express. . . Indeed, it has been unusually active of late. . ." Aquila's voice trailed off briefly as the train zoomed out of sight. "I have changed my mind. I shall accompany you to the Observatory after all, Altairis."

I cradled the largest piece of Benevolessence tightly against my chest, and with a mutual understanding between us, master Aquila and I made the journey home together once more.


	4. Family, Fruition and Flight

The stars shone brilliantly around Master Aquila and I as we zoomed toward the Observatory. The nearer we got home, the more nervous I became. From the look on his face, Master Aquila could feel it too -- the sudden urgency to make it back. Everyone had been saying it was time for the holy Fyggs to bloom, and between the sighting of the Starflight Express and the pile of Benevolessence I had attained, I felt our time could be very soon indeed. Before, the thought had troubled me as much as it excited me, but now I was simply swamped in anxiety.

Once inside, Master Aquila wasted no time. "I have important matters to discuss with Apus Major. Please, excuse me." he said before rushing off towards the Great Hall.

Well, at least he said please this time.

Finding it strange there was no Deneb or any other gate keeper on duty to greet us, I was still unable to shake my apprehension. I decided that before I took the rest of the Benevolessence up to Yggdrasil, I would look for my brother once more in hopes of showing him the crystal I had received from the lost spirit. It may very well be the last offering ever made to Yggdrasil, and I would not let Gallus ascend without experiencing the feelings within the stone for himself. And besides, perhaps his infectiously cheery attitude would put me at ease.

As I made my way up the stairs and off towards the library, I realized that the entire Observatory was unusually bare. That vibrating hum of excitement from before hadn't dissipated, but there were noticeably less Celestrians about. Without the need for deep sleep or food, it was rare to find the halls of the Observatory so empty. Where had everyone gone?

Nearly running now, I found Columba in the back of the library by her desk, her thick mauve hair pulled back revealing the sad expression on her face. She was looking out the window, her gaze fixed on the stars sharing our skies.

Seeing her this way took me a bit off guard. Like Master Aquila, she always projected a particular attitude that you could never get a peek behind. Aquila was stoic and cold, while she was always annoyingly playful and chirpy.  Now, however, she had a distinct heaviness about her. I thought of leaving  her be, but I had to find Gallus. Besides, I still had no clue what was going on here.

"Oh, hello there Altairis. I forgot you were still down in the Protectorate. . ." Columba said with dull surprise. I asked her what had happened while I was away.

"Soon an envoy will arrive to return us all to the Realm of the Almighty. Yggdrasil is aquiver with power and everyone has made their way up to gaze upon Her at the moment of deliverance."

I frowned. I was certain that was the case, yet I still felt scared. "So soon? . . .You do not look particularly pleased about it yourself."

Columba sighed and waited a moment before replying, her voice etched with either regret or longing, I could not tell. "I cannot help but think what of Corvus? He is still not returned to us. . . Is he doomed never to return. . . ?" Her voice broke and she cleared her throat, no doubt holding back tears. "But I speak of forbidden things. Please, pretend you heard nothing. It is merely talk of matter centuries since put to rest."

I went to the window and stood beside her, feigning interest in the stars. "It does not seem very put to rest to me." I said as gently as I knew how.

She laughed bitterly. "Do not worry for me, young Guardian. I am not one of your precious flock." Her voice was coarse.

I winced. "I am sorry, Columba. I will let you be. But first, have you seen my brother? Is he above with the others?"

"I sent him up to Yggdrasil. I told him of your Guardianship, he was very excited."

Turning towards her, I gave Columba my best smile. "Thank you for taking such good care of him, Columba. And thank you taking care of Master Aquila too. They have both grown well with your guidance as a friend."

That seemed to brighten her some as she stifled a small giggle. "Oh my. Indeed, they do need someone to keep them from running rampant, do they not? Thank you for your concern for my feelings, but it is really nothing anyone could do anything about. You should go join the others."

I nodded politely as I left her. I remembered Master Aquila mentioning the name 'Corvus' when he and Columba were talking earlier, but I had no idea who he was or why it was taboo to speak about him. It sounded as if he had gone missing in the Protectorate and therefore was causing Columba a great deal of personal pain. . . was that why Master Aquila brought him up when he spoke of me? Was he afraid I would be lost to him just as this Corvus was lost to Columba? Who was this Celestrian even?

My thoughts were quickly silenced as I made my way through the barren Great Hall and up toward the World Tree. That's where I found them; the entire stairway and every surrounding platform was packed with Celestrians and even more alighted in the sky, looking on towards an intensely glowing Yggdrasil. Somewhere I would find my family.

As I searched, I saw both expressions of awe and faces blanketed with trepidation, it seemed no one could make up their mind on what was about to happen. None of us really knew what the ascension would be like, after all, and the people were growing impatient waiting for me to begin. I was the last Guardian left to make an offering, But I couldn't give up the Benevolessence without finding Gallus first, not until I --

" _Siiiiiiiiis!_ " Screamed a silvery-light male voice.

As soon as I turned towards the familiar sound, a young boy with a mane of thick indigo hair tackled me into a hug, nearly sending me over the side of the Observatory.

"Gallus!" I gasped, willing the air back into my lungs. "You are getting far too strong for my liking. You almost sent me plummeting into the Protectorate!" I teased before planting a kiss on the top of his head, a gesture I'd seen human mothers do to their young children many times. It felt oddly natural.

Gallus looked up at me with golden eyes shining. "Ha! I am getting bigger! And better! And, and badder everyday! No seriously, check me out, I grew a quarter of an inch since you left!" he exclaimed, still holding tight to my waist.

"I see! You have definitely grown in my absence. I hardly even recognize you. . . In fact, I am not convinced you even are my brother! If you are the real Gallus, tell me why I arrived here." I said, putting my hands on my hips in mock skepticism.

Gallus let go and mimicked my pose, his tiny fists nearly hidden within the thick fabric of his fledgling robes. "Too easy! You came back from slaying thousands of monsters in the name of the Almighty. Shaa! Shing! Augh!!!" he said as he pretended to butcher hordes of imaginary monsters. "I mean, that is what Guardians do, right?"

I couldn't contain my laughter. "Oh Gallus, you are far too hot-blooded for a library clerk. Or for your own good, you know that? It is. . . very un-Celestrian of you." I wasn't about to admit I spent the greater portion of my day in Angel Falls cleaning up horse muck rather than fending off a mass of enemies. Saying that out loud would break both of our hearts.

" _Psshaw_! Being all calm and reserved is for lame old geezers like Aquila, not a rad guy like myself!" He proudly proclaimed.

He was lucky my master was not within earshot of that particular remark. It was then I was struck with an idea. "Heh! Alright Mr. Rad-Guy, how would you like to come offer some Benevolessence to Yggdrasil with me?" I said, holding out the largest of the glowing crystals.

His eyes grew wide like saucers. " _Ooooooh_! Yes! Yes! A thousand times yes!"

I grinned. "Alright. Hold my hand, okay?"

Gallus complied and the two of us made our way up the final set of stairs to Yggdrasil together, hand in hand, that feeling of anxiety diffusing at his touch.

Once we got to the meadow, I noticed both of my old masters standing before us, each grinning ear to ear, wings aquiver in anticipation and joy.

"Well met, Altairis!" Aquila practically sung. "Truly, you have chosen a fortuitous moment to join us. Ah? And young Gallus too."

I squeezed my brothers hand reassuringly. "I hope it was okay I brought him here. I did not want us to journey to the Realm of the Almighty without him experiencing the offering of Benevolessence at least once."

Aquila looked to Apus Major who admitted to having no qualms about the idea, and the two of them invited Gallus to join me in the offering.

Slowly, I lead my brother through the small meadow and up to Yggdrasil's base, letting his big eyes wander over all the scenery. Once we were beneath Her boughs, I knelt next to him to make our heights more even. Gathering the crystals in both of our hands, feeling the intense mix of all the thankful emotions of my flock, I asked if he was ready.

"Are you kidding? This is about to be the greatest moment of my life! . . .Thanks sis."

Simply smiling in return, I guided our hands aloft and, as before, the Benevolessence glided safely from our hands, burst forth in flame, and was absorbed in a great show of light. Only this time I watched my little brother rather than Yggdrasil.

Seeing his face light up was the greater of the two sights.

After Yggdrasil's luminosity died down, things began to change from before. The air no longer thickened and engulfed us, instead She suddenly bore fruit -- massive and golden. I could hear rejoicing from all around me, as well as Gallus' and my own enamored gasp. They were truly striking.

"Behold! The sacred Fyggs bloom!" Apus Major shouted, his voice brimming with childish delight.

Overhead a great horn sounded and the Starflight Express came gliding towards us in all of its radiant glory. When it lit up the sky above us before, it looked like an exquisite shooting star but seeing it so closely, it was a truly intricate work of art. Our chariot awaits us.

"And the celestial chariot appears. . . Praise be! All is as it was foretold." I heard the voices cry out.

It was a moment of complete triumph, at long last all that we Celestrians had worked towards had come to fruition. I gazed thoughtfully at the Starflight Express and wondered how I could ever have been sad to see this day come.

I felt Gallus tug on my sleeve. "Hey sis, you, Deneb and I will still be together when we enter the Realm of the Almighty, right? Because there is nowhere I want to go if it means we no longer get to live as a family."

I smiled and ruffled his hair affectionately. "I am sure of it, Gallus. It would take a greater power than the Almighty to separate me from you, I promise."

As soon as I had finished my sentence, a giant bolt of violet light burst forth from below and thundered into the Starflight Express. The impact blew it apart and sent its still-glowing carriages flying out in all directions. I heard the screams of Celestrians abruptly cut short by the force of the celestial chariot crushing them as they plummeted towards the ground.

Then there was complete and utter silence. What had just happened?

Gallus clung to me and I returned his hold. Then it begun. Bolt after bolt of searing violet light crashed through the Observatory. I felt the earth shift beneath us as parts of the island fell. Rock splintered and cracked. Celestrians fled in every direction, some getting caught in the explosions of debris and others caught in the beams of light, leaving no trace of themselves as the beams receded. There was nowhere for us to run.

I could feel Gallus shaking in my arms as the assault continued, and all I could do is tighten my grip on him. I tried to cover his ears so he couldn't hear all the screams but they were a symphony around us. Then another wave of attacks, this time ripping through the meadow itself and tearing my little brother from my arms.

" _Altairis_!" He screamed as the energy from the closest bolt flung him away from me.

"Hold on! I'm coming!" I shouted over the sound of all the other panicked cries. Then another light came, as thick as Yggdrasil herself, and held its place, blowing apart the monuments surrounding Her and knocking Aquila, Apus Major and myself back.

I clung to a piece of the newly made rubble as the pulsating lightning threatening to blow us away for good. I looked around wildly for Gallus, but I couldn't see him anymore.

" _Gallus_!" I screamed, but I could barely hear myself over the death cries and chaos around me. Where was he?

Master Aquila and Apus Major were both just barely holding their ground, and though I could see them speaking, I couldn't hear what was being said. I had a feeling his words mirrored my own thoughts though. Like why was this happening? Had we been deceived? How many of us had just died?

I felt my grip on the ruins weaken as the bolts energy intensified. Then suddenly I felt a sharp, searing feeling stab through me, dimming everything else and ushering an unbidden scream from my lips as the wings on my back begun to tear away from my skin.

Was this. . . _pain_?

As the light convulsed with another wave of energy, I lost my hold to the ground and felt myself begin to fly upwards. I saw Master Aquila's despaired face through the quickening dark and reached out towards him. I could vaguely hear him scream my name and see his strong arm reach out toward me, but before I knew it, I was hurtling through the air and everything seemed so very far away.

I tried to move my wings but they would not listen, and soon the pain became too much. The last thing I remembered before meeting the darkness was my own bloodied feathers flying out in front of me, and the promise I made to my younger brother that I knew now I could not keep.


	5. Second Impressions

The peaceful village of Angel Falls is a masterpiece of predictability. As soon as the sun's rays split the horizon and spill out over the little town, the children similarly flood the roads and gardens to either begin their Sunday lessons or play their favorite outdoor games; leaving the women to go diligently about their business. The young men and ladies not yet put to work will spend their time chatting, while hiding bashful smiles and reddened cheeks as they put off their chores about town. Finally, the men will start their long day of labor tending to the animals -- just as Erinn had been tending to me.

I stood in front of the Guardian Statue near the foot of the falls I had been fished out of just a week before and stared blankly at was inscribed there.

_'Altairis-- Guardian of Angel Falls'_

It gave me a dangerous sense of hope.

After being thrown from the Observatory and into the Protectorate, I had fell into the water of Angel Falls. I was rescued and cared for by Erinn, whom I was surprised to find I was completely visible to. It wasn't just her though, her grandfather and the many other villagers that had stopped by her home had been able to see me as well. More than that, I hurt. A lot. And I slept even more than I hurt. In the rare times I wasn't asleep or too busy being in pain, I ate.

None of this was meant to be possible.

It was easy enough to explain the humans being able to see me -- without my halo to cloak me from their senses, it was inevitable that they'd notice me. The intense pain all over my body was harder to accept. I knew the ache of tired muscles from overuse and training, but until that horrifying moment I felt my wings rent from my back, I had not known pain. Now it seemed to never cease. What scared me the most though was this sudden and seemingly constant need for sleep and food.

As a Celestrian, I might have rested my eyes after a long day of reading, or lazed about in my hammock to relax my limbs, but my mind had never needed to shut down so fully as it did now. And that terrible period of unconsciousness was plagued by images of blood, feathers and water, making it all the more unbearable. Then there was the food. . . _food_! The act of eating was disgustingly foreign. The urge though, the need for sustenance, was greater than anything I'd ever felt before. It overwhelmed even my fear and sorrow and I hated myself for it.

At first, I had no idea what was happening to me, only that I hurt too much to do anything on my own. Only after having Erinn go through the motions of feeding me, bathing me and dressing my wounds did it hit me -- I had become mortal.

I was lucky to have been taken in by someone like Erinn though. She was good-natured and patient enough to teach me how to do all of the human things I didn't understand while conveniently filling in a lot of the blanks I didn't have the presence of mind to find excuses for.

 _Who was I_? Probably a wandering minstrel. _Why didn't I know how to eat_? Hit my head during my fall. _How did I wind up falling into the river_? Must have been at the top of the waterfall when the earthquake hit. _What was I doing up there_? I was lost, obviously.

It wasn't until I had begun talking on my own -- mostly saying things like 'Ow' and 'Gallus' -- did Erinn bother me with any questions.

 _What was my name_? Altairis.

"Oh! You have the same name as our village Guardian!" she had exclaimed. It was all I needed to hear to change my mind about my fate. How could my name still be in the minds of the mortals as Guardian unless I was still truly Celestrian? But I couldn't know for sure. . . I had to see it, my name etched in stone.

So I set my mind to recovery. I did my best to move on my own and ate as much as I could, hoping that would be enough to heal a mortal body, but it just made things worse. I succeeded only in re-opening my wounds and vomiting which, despite everything I had already been through, was one of the worst experiences of my life.

Erinn told me there was naught I could do to speed up recuperation, that my body just needed some time.

"What of a. . . healer? Surly, their magic could help?" I croaked out as Erinn lead me back to my bed. The first I'd ever used.

I remember her frown then, it looked unusual on her normally cheery face and I felt bad for being the one to cause it.

"This town is so small and secluded, we don't have any magic users here. The pastor did all he knew how, but it didn't seem to make any difference." she sighed helplessly. "I would like to call in a priest from Stornway just in case, but the mountain pass became blocked after the earthquake. . . I'm sorry, Altairis, but please, just take it easy." she said as she gently tucked a soft blanket in around me. "Besides, you've made remarkable progress since I first found you! I've never seen someone bounce back so quickly without magic. It's truly miraculous." Granting me a warm smile, Erinn left me to sleep.

It was then that I decided to trust in the Almighty, wherever He may be, and go to sleep thinking 'miraculous' thoughts. Sure enough, a few days later and here I was, up and walking. The first thing I went to see was the Guardian Statue. _My_ Guardian statue.

As I stood there thinking on how the figure of the statue looked incredibly nothing at all like me to an almost offensive degree, I heard a familiar voice from behind.

"Hey, it's that Altairis character who turned up just after the earthquake the other day. Oi! Wakey, wakey! What are you doing there, staring off into space?"

Ah, the sweet, insufferable sounds of Ivor. He had been by the house multiple times during my recovery, and practically made a game of how badly he could aggravate those around him.

"It's called 'thinking', Ivor. Sometimes, people with brains do that." I quipped as I turned to face him and Hugo who, no surprise, was with him. Sweet but sometimes dimwitted, Hugo was practically stitched to his friends side.

Ivor either didn't hear me over the sound of his own obnoxiousness, or he just ignored me.

I'm betting the former.

"I don't know what Erinn thinks she's doing bothering with the likes of her. She won't tell us where she's from, her clothes are all weird. . . I wouldn't trust her as far as I could throw her." Ivor said loudly as if to a crowd, facing me with his smug smile the entire time.

"I bet it's her name that's got Erinn so keen. It is the same as our village Guardian's after all." Hugo mused.

It was probably true. Erinn was always a very devout believer in Celestrians, and her eyes positively lit up when I told her my name.

"Huh! I doubt it's even her real name. I bet she's just some no-good wandering minstrel taking on a Guardian's name to get a free lunch. Well, listen to this, oddball! I won't let you get away with any funny business on my patch!" Ivor declared.

For such a thoughtless jerk, I had to admit Ivor was pretty clever. Taking on a Guardians name in hopes of some free accommodations in a small town wasn't a terrible idea, especially if the con was dealing with someone as trusting as Erinn.

"Yeah, watch your step! Ivor doesn't like Erinn giving all of her attention to you." Hugo added.

A smile tugged at my lips. How precious.

Blushing and angry, Ivor quickly turned towards his friend. "S-Shut up, you idiot! Why would you say that!?"

The color quickly drained from his face as he noticed Erinn coming up the small hill towards our little group. As she approached us she looked. . . angry?

"What's going on? What are you two bothering Altairis for?" Erinn demanded.

Ivor balked. "Er. . . Hi, Erinn! Nothing's going on. Just teaching Altairis here a few village rules."

"It was a very enlightening chat." I said, smiling at Hugo.

Ivor was sweating. "A-Anyway, we were just leaving. Come on, Hugo." Ivor grabbed his friends arm and the two quickly scurried off.

Erinn shook her head as she watched them leave. "I don't know why Ivor's so full of himself these days. He never used to be like that. . ." She said sadly.

Maybe Ivor's feelings weren't completely unreciprocated? It would be a truly odd match in any case.

"I'm glad you're feeling better now and walking around, Altairis, but make sure you don't overdo it, okay?" Erinn said, turning towards me.

I gave her the most reassuring smile I could manage. "I promise not to undo all of your hard work, I just really need some fresh air."

"Oh, yes, I can understand that. You have been cooped up in the house for an awfully long time. And fresh air is always good for our health!"

"Is that why you're not at the inn? . . .Or were you just going to check in on me?"

Erinn giggled. "Well I am heading home, but only because there's nothing more to do at the inn for now. You just enjoy the fresh air and I'll get dinner ready, alright?"

I nodded and after another round of agreeing to not push myself, Erinn went on her way.

As I watched the young woman pick up the blue skirt of her dress and race home, I couldn't help but wonder how she ended up so motherly and protective when her own mother died when she was so young. Even now, after the relatively recent death of her father, she was alarmingly sunny. She had a resilience to sadness I knew now that I lacked.

It made me think of my own 'mother'. Deneb wasn't as fussy as Erinn was, but Celestrians typically weren't. It wasn't like we really needed maternal shielding and reassurance, not like mortals did. But then, as I remembered Gallus' terrified face as he was ripped from my arms, I had to question if that was really true.

Before I let myself drown in the sad thoughts I had been pushing aside since I first gained consciousness here, I decided to explore Angel Falls in a way I never had before -- by foot.

At a glance, the town was, plain and simple, plain and simple. But that was part of why I enjoyed it so much. Compared to the relative opulence and detail of the Observatory, living here was excitingly new. In fact, the more I believed how wonderful it was that Angel Falls seemed to be everything that the Observatory wasn't, the easier it became to ignore my fear of never returning home.

Instead of being surrounded by stone, everything was green. Green grass in green fields with green trees and even the occasional green roof. Everything was just so natural and earthy. . . it felt homey in a way that didn't make me think of home.

As I strolled past Erinn's and onto the dirt road leading toward the bridges to the other side of town, I saw two of the village ladies excitedly chatting by the well across the way. One of them seemed to notice me as I went by so I gave them a friendly nod and wave as I went past.

No need to make the flock feel pity for poor old hobbled, homeless me, I thought.

Not that it mattered. The ladies lost their smiles once they saw me, and then begun whispering fiercely to one another, refusing to look away. All the same, I didn't lose the small smile I had mustered. I feared that if I lost it now, I'd lose it for good.

I knew from my time as Master Aquila's apprentice, from watching him look after the people here, that humans in small settlements tended to be superstitious, especially of strangers -- Ivor's earlier treatment assured me of that much. But I had always thought of it simply as a quirk certain mortals possessed, nothing to really concern myself with. Now that I was on the receiving end of that suspicion, I felt very differently.

In fact, I just felt differently in general. I may not have become fully mortal like I had first feared, but I was certainly changed. Aside from all of the physical alterations, I also found myself picking up the mortals way of talking. Sure, I still spoke with the same lilt that all Celestrians did, but my speech was becoming far more. . . relaxed. I blamed it on Erinn's persistent chattering while I was resting. Not that I minded all that much, she had an interestingly optimistic view of things that held my own dark thoughts at bay.

By the time I had crossed the second bridge and onto the other side of the town, I felt considerably better. My joints didn't feel as stiff and even though my muscles ached from all the sudden use, it was a good sort of pain. I still had trouble with my balance due to my sudden loss of wings, but the more I moved without them, the more confident I became.

Most of Angel Falls' public buildings were on the south side of town. The two most prominent being the Inn Erinn ran and the lovely old chapel. Both of which garnered a fair amount of attention from visitors and townsfolk alike.

I felt a pang of sadness as I came upon the church. The earthquake had done little structural damage to the town as a whole, but the chapel did not get off so easy. The sky blue tiles of its roof were littered all across the street in pieces. Much of the building itself had become cracked and splintered and many of its priceless stained glass windows were shattered. Most sad of all though was its bell, the crown of the church itself. Torn away from the belfry, the golden instrument lay uselessly half-buried in the dirt. Both the kindly local pastor and church nun had cobbled the place together well enough for it to function, but it had still lost much of its charm and spirit.

Would my home also be a shell of what it once was when I returned to it? If I returned to it? If there was even a home for me to return too -- _no_! I couldn't think that way. I couldn't let myself give up on my hope before I even had a chance to act on it.

I shook my head, as if to fling the negative thoughts away from me, then continued my exploration. Just a short walk from the chapel, I came upon a familiar place. As I approached the ranch, a friendly whinny brought a smile to my face.

A beautiful auburn horse trotted up to me. Nervous to interact with an animal for the first time, I slowly reached out and rubbed its long face. "Hey there. I remember you. . ." I said as gently as I could. I did my best not to remember all the cleaning up after it I did as well, but some things aren't so easily forgotten.

With a hearty neigh in response, I felt myself ease up. "You remember me too, don't you?" Though I felt a bit silly talking to an animal, it was nice to see someone who recognized me for what I truly was.

Just then, the rancher I had helped what felt like an eternity ago stormed out of the nearest stable, ranting aloud to himself. "I worked and worked and worked, and finally I had enough money to buy another horse only for her to get injured in that earthquake the other day! Of all the rotten luck! And I had Altairis on my side and everything. . ." Spotting me, the man quickly amended, "Ah, I don't mean you, by the way, so don't get the wrong idea."

Except he did mean me, he just didn't know it. And I was on his side.

"Sorry to hear about your horse." I said as I continued to pet the one in front of me. "It must be hard to look after so many animals, especially when they can't figure out what's good for themselves on their own."

The man had a scowl that could wilt fresh flowers, if he pleased. "Hmph, no doubt a care-free minstrel as yourself would know a whole deal about the hard work I do." the rancher said as he eyed me suspiciously.

I continued to stroke the horse in front of me, finding calm in the repetitive motion. "Well, it's true I'm not as experienced at it as you are, and definitely in no shape to be doing anything of the sort now," I laughed, "but before I became a minstrel, I did a bit of. . . shepherding myself."

The man seemed to consider me for a moment before losing the edge in his voice. "Well, seeing the way my Penny takes to ya makes me think you'd of done better with horses than sheep."

Something sad came over me as I thought about the short time I spent caring for my flock, caring for the people here. "Yes. . . things would probably have turned out better that way." I replied quietly.

The rancher let me spend some more time with Penny and the other animals while he went about repairing his farm. After doing what little I could to help out, I figured I shouldn't keep Erinn waiting too much longer and decided on one last stop. To my surprise, the man actually returned my wave as I left.

With a small sense of accomplishment, I continued on to my next destination.

Before I was able to reach the steps of the house in front of me, a young, dark-haired girl hopped down from the small raised area beside the road and skipped merrily in my direction, careful not to trip over her long, pink skirt.

"Hiya, there!" she chimed as she got close. "You're that wandering minstrel everyone is talking about, _riiight_?"

"I am. . ." I hesitantly replied, still not entirely comfortable with the lie.

Her face lit up. "Oooh! Can you please do a pratfall? Oh! Oh! Or maybe a sobering slap! C'mon! Hit me! Hit me!" The girl shouted, pointing to her face.

What on earth. "Uh, I think maybe I shouldn't hit a child. . . people would probably disapprove. . ." I said, looking around warily, hoping to the Almighty that no one heard her.

A thoughtful look crossed the girls face. "Huh, yeah, probably. Everyone here is so stuffy! That's why I got so excited when Pa said a minstrel was in town! We never have anyone interesting come visit us, not like you!" She said, her blue eyes sparkling.

I couldn't help but laugh.

Cringing at the pain, I took a knee in front of her. "I'm glad you're so excited to meet new people. . . uh, what is your name, exactly?" I asked.

"Yvette!" she chirped, clasping her hands together. "And I would so love it, just _adoooore_ it, if you would do some gymnastic moves for me, Miss Minstrel Lady! _Pleeeaaasssseeeeeeee_?" she begged.

I grimaced. Gymnastics? I didn't know gymnastics! Couldn't she have just asked to hear a story or something? What did this kid think minstrels actually did?

"Uh. . . ah!" An idea hit me. "Argh, the pain! The pain of all of my various and horrible wounds!" I said as convincingly as I could, gripping my sides in semi-false agony. "Oh it all hurts so much! Oh no! Everything is getting dark! I'm not sure I'll be able to do any gymnastics like this! . . .You know, because of all the pain?"

I had never seen a child so disappointed.

"Oh. . . well, that's okay I guess. You did get really beat up by the waterfall, after all. . ."

"You have no idea, Yvette."

Then as suddenly as a gust of wind, she perked right up. "Too bad! I'll just go find someone else to play with!"

"Wait!" I said before she skipped off.

"Yeeeeessss? Did someone change their mind?" she asked as slyly as a little girl could.

This kid.

"Ah, no. I was just wondering if I'm at the right house. This is the mayor's place, correct?"

"Yeah! This is where daddy and Ivor and me live!"

She was Ivor's sister? Ivor was the _mayor's son_?

"Oh. Oh! Well thank you, Yvette. I hope you find someone more fun than me to play with." I said as I tried to stand.

Tried.

As soon as I shifted my weight upwards, I felt my world spin a little too much and ended up falling flat on my face.

Yvette gasped. " _Ooooooh_. . . ! Yes! A pratfall! Thank you so much Miss Minstrel Lady! You're the funnest ever!" She bellowed in my ear as she gave me an awkward hug.

"Y-You're welcome. . ." I replied, practically kissing the dirt.

Yvette ran off after helping me get back on my feet, and I decided that if I didn't make this visit short, I'd probably end up dead.

Once I got to the door I was unsure of what to do, I had never really paid attention to what mortal procedure came next. I knew when people came to Erinn's home they would knock first, but when they went to see her at the Inn, they just walked through the door.

I stood there for a good two minutes deciding what to do and ended up going the safe route and knocking.

Nothing happened.

I thought about turning back, seeing as it was beginning to get dark, but I really wanted to get my meeting with the mayor out of the way. If he found out I had been walking around, talking to his daughter no less, and didn't come to introduce myself? It would be rude and insubordinate and. . . it just didn't seem like something I could feel right doing as a Celestrian.

So I let myself in and hoped that would be less rude than not showing up at all.

As soon as I began my way down the front hall, I heard voices.

"Isn't it about time you did something useful with yourself rather than just hanging about the place causing trouble? You'd do well to take a leaf out of Erinn's book. She puts in a lot of hard work at the inn, that girl." said a deep, masculine voice I did not recognize. The mayor, I assumed.

"Huh! What's Erinn got to do with it?" said a panicky voice I _did_ recognize. "I am trying to find something I want to do, anyway. And when I figure out what that is, I'll work my socks off! . . .Probably. . ."

Turning the corner into the large living room the voices were coming from, I cleared my throat. "Hello there, Ivor. Mayor Litlun." I did a minor, but respectful bow towards the large man in the room. He and Ivor didn't look much alike, but I could see the resemblance in his daughter; she had his dark hair and upturned eyes. I doubt she would go prematurely bald like him, however.

The mayor regarded me coolly. "You're that minstrel who fell from the top of the waterfall, aren't you? The one who Erinn took in?"

"Yes, sir. Since I've managed to get back on my feet I thought it appropriate to introduce myself to you."

His eyes narrowed. "If your injuries are healed, then I suggest you find yourself some work rather than just hanging about the place." he said before dismissing himself from the room.

I stood there frozen in place, stunned by his casual disregard. Who did he think he was talking to?

"Hey! What are you even doing here?" Ivor asked, marching toward me.

I blinked. "Uh. Well, like I had just said, I --"

"Huh! I didn't want anyone to see that!" he interrupted, looking around wildly, then fixing his eyes back on me. "You'd better not tell Erinn, okay? I mean. . . please don't tell Erinn!"

There was something desperate and earnest about his sudden plea. He liked this girl more than I first thought, and that realization sucked the snark right out of me.

I sighed. "Of course I won't tell her. Or anyone else, for that matter.'

Ivor actually thanked me before remembering who he was talking to, then told me to get out of his house. I kindly obliged; I'd had about enough of Ivor's family for one day.

The sun had set and the air was cool by the time I made it back home -- to Erinn's home I mean. I knew I couldn't get comfortable there, despite how kind some of the people in Angel Falls truly were. Now that I was back on my feet, I needed to find out what had happened to the Observatory that night, what happened to my real home. I just needed a place to start.

It wasn't until I was in my bed, filled to burst with Erinn's cooking and about to drift to sleep that I remembered something from that night I had forgotten about.

_"I cannot help but think what of Corvus? He is still not returned to us. . . Is he doomed never to return. . . ?"_

I heard Columba's pained words echo through my head.

Corvus.

Maybe what has happened to me is what happened to him? Maybe. . . Could I find him?

Then a second, unwanted thought crossed my mind. Were Master Aquila and Apus Major as worried about me as Columba was about this Corvus? Was my family? Were they even alive?

All the feelings I was too in pain to dwell on before overwhelmed me now and for the first time in my life, I let myself cry freely without shame or hesitation.


	6. Improbable Kindness

I slept deep. It had scared me at first, shutting down my senses like that. It was a mortal failing, a vulnerability. Still, once the nightmares had worn out, I found myself enjoying sleep more than I had expected myself to. It was a welcome escape from my uncertain reality and I chose to revel in it.

Despite my desperate grasp on the dream world, everything fled the moment a gentle pair of hands rocked me awake. "Morning, Altairis!" I heard a cheery female voice say as I cast my bleary sleep-laden eyes up towards the slight figure standing over me.

"Erinn. . . Morning?" I managed, my voice rough and hard to find in my tiredness.

Was it really time to get up already? I let my eyes wander around the small room I had been designated since my stay there. The single window to my left had been opened, allowing in birdsong and a cool, invigorating breeze. More importantly though, the soft blue light of a sun not-quite-risen flooded in from it, bathing the space in a wraithlike glow.

The sun had not yet deigned to rise, so neither would I.

With a yawn, I pulled the warm blanket up around me to stave off a chill and closed my eyes once more, willing my dreams to return to me.

Erinn would have none of it.

"Come on, get up!" She shook me again, still careful not to press any of my bandages.

" _Why_?" I whined.

Almighty, when had I become a whiner? ". . .I was having this dream. . . You were there and so was this metal slime and I just. . . I want to. . ." I gave up on words and just laid there.

I was not looking forward to this day. A day so full of improbability and chaos. It hadn't really hit me throughout my recovery, but another thing I dearly missed was the structured life of living in the Observatory. I missed having a purpose and direction at every moment. Nothing that Erinn could offer me would change that right now. Nothing could make this day any less frightening.

"You have a vi-si-tor." Erinn said sing-song, knowing her words would catch my attention.

My eyes shot open. Who could it be? I couldn't imagine any of the villagers had reason -- or desire -- to visit me, and surely. . . Penny the horse couldn't visit someone, could she? No, no, surely not. Perhaps it was mayor Litlun, here to make a more formal introduction! Certainly that must be it. No individual of such authority would be as rude as he was yesterday without offering apology afterwards, right? Mortals aren't completely barbaric, after all. That _did_ change things. I could not keep him waiting.

I sat up. Erinn moved in close to help me but there was no need. The only thing that held me back now was the weight of sleep. My wounds had healed.

"Alright. I think I know who--"

"It's Ivor." Erinn said quickly.

"Ugh." I flopped back down onto the bed.

"He's got something or other he wants to talk to you about." she pleaded.

I groaned, pulling a pillow over my face. Surely suffocation would be a more pleasant fate? No, I suppose not. "Just. . . go tell him I'm out dungeon crawling or something, will you?"

Erinn clasped her hands in front of her, looking the ever patient mother-like figure. "He knows you're here, so I can't very well turn him away. Just give him a few minutes of your time, okay?"

I took a moment to think.

". . .Bah! Fine. I lost my dream already anyway." I finally conceded.

Honestly, I'd feel guilty further pressing Erinn to lie for me. She wasn't one to be knowingly dishonest and I didn't want to change that in her. Really, Erinn was unfailingly kind and sweet and maybe a little too--

"Look, If Ivor says anything rude to you, make sure you don't let him get away with it. I generally only give him three chances before I strike back." Erinn said thoughtfully.

Erinn. . . Striking back? Striking anything? Mortals consistently surprised me. "Heh, don't worry about that. Just distract him for a few minutes while I try to put myself together. . .I'm sure he'd love to spend some time with you anyway." I gently prodded.

To my surprise, she looked sad rather than flustered.

"No, I don't think that's true. . . not anymore." But before I had time to question her, she quickly pasted on a smile and continued. "But don't worry! I'm sure Ivor won't mind if you take your time getting up. He knows you're injured after all."

Once I had explained that I actually felt quite good, albeit a bit sore, Erinn excitedly went down stairs to start breakfast, allowing me take care of myself for the first time since my fall.

It didn't take long to get myself looking. . . human.

Because my Guardian uniform was dirty from my adventures around town the day before, Erinn had kindly put together some things for me to wear. They were just odds and ends but it was suitable enough. Between the bandana, leather shoes and plain clothes, I had never looked so. . . _plain_ before.

It wasn't that I prided myself in my appearance, in fact, I didn't think about my appearance much at all. It was that, in their clothes, I just didn't feel one bit like a Celestrian, and I did pride myself in my race. I had never realized what an impact things as simple as cloth could make. It seemed that without my Celestrian garb on, there wasn't really anything Celestrian left about me. 

With a small sigh, I scraped back my hair out of my eyes and pinned the massive mess of pink curls sprouting from my scalp up under the blue bandana Erinn had left me, then headed downstairs.

Erinn stood in the kitchen, pulling something rich and savory smelling from the stone stove, while her grandfather took his usual seat across from the window overlooking my guardian statue and the falls.

It was lovely, gathering together for meals each day. Celestrians would congregate and spend time with one another, but never so often or so casually. This culture of food that mortals partake in -- each and every one of them -- was something beautifully unique to their race that I felt oddly grateful to experience.  

Something was wrong though, something was not where it belonged. It was Ivor, standing by the front door looking the same as he always seemed to when Erinn was close by -- nervous.

I said my good morning to Erinn's grandfather, nabbing a heavenly bit of cooked pork off of a nearby platter and made my way over to Ivor.

"Hey, Altairis." he said as I strolled over to him, my eyebrows raised. "Don't look so surprised. There's something I want to talk to you about, that's all."

I crossed my arms and fixed my face in a deep scowl, mimicking Master Aquila's imposing attitude as best I could. "Then talk."

Unflinching under my glare, Ivor looked pass me and at Erinn. ". . .We can't talk about it here. Come outside a minute." he said before bolting out the door.

Well then. Apparently I was not as frightening as my master. Hmph, it was the clothes fault, surely. If I had been in my prime, I'd have had him cowering. Definitely.

With a shrug, I followed Ivor out the door and around the far side of the house. He stood away from the windows, yet still looked about warily.

"Be honest with me, Ivor. Is this going to be about your deep, soul crushing love for Erinn? Because I really don't think I can help you with that. "

His face flooded red. "W-What!? Why would you even think that? She's just a silly inn girl! I mean, that's not to say she isn't just the most beauti--uh, I meant to say. . . It's just that me and Erinn, well. Wait. Argh! That's not what I came here to say! Not that there's anything to say about us. Well, not _'us'_ but you know. . ."

I smiled as I watched Ivor trip all over himself. It seemed that there was nothing that frightened him quite as much as his own feelings. I decided to interrupt him before he had a complete breakdown. "Ivor!" I shouted, ceasing his babbling. "I believe there was something you wanted to talk to me about?"

Ivor cleared his throat as he gathered himself. "Ahem, yes. So here's the thing. You've heard about how the pass has been blocked by a landslide, right?"

I nodded. Of course I did, that landslide was the reason Erinn couldn't call on a healer for me. It was the reason I had to wait so long for my body to mend itself.

Ivor continued. "Well, that pass is a lifeline for us in Angel Falls. We're totally cut off if we can't use it. It's a real problem for Eri-- A real problem for everyone, I mean."

I suppressed the sudden desire to roll my eyes. "Riiiight. I understand that it's a problem for 'everyone'. What are you getting at?"

"Well I was thinking: what better time for Ivor to come to the rescue? I'm going to clear the landslide and make it passable again." he said, mater-of-factly.

I felt my face twist in suspicion. "You? Clear a landslide? A whole landslide? . . .You?" 

Ivor didn't seem to catch the question.

"It'll get my dad off my back for a while, and I know Erinn will be pleased as well." he muttered mostly to himself.

"You're so noble."

"There's just one hitch with my perfect plan." he said.

"Just one?"

He nodded. "Since the earthquake, there have been lots of monsters about, and it's pretty dangerous to leave the village now. . ."

I frowned. Was this really true? I supposed monsters could be aggravated by natural disasters, but I hadn't observed that behavior in my training before. I shuddered at the idea of little Angel Falls boxed in by nature, alone with tons of angry monsters. This place wouldn't stand a chance.

"That is a problem." I agreed. "But I'm having a hard time figuring out why you're telling me all this."

Ivor smiled at me. It was awful. "That's about where you come in. I was thinking that maybe you could tag along."

I almost laughed. "What makes you think I'll be any help?"

"You minstrel types are generally pretty handy in a scrap, right? Can I count on you to help me out?"

Were minstrels good in a scrap? I thought they just sung old songs and told stories from other parts of the world. I must have a lot to learn about my false identity.

"It'll be a great way to repay Erinn for helping you out." Ivor added.

I sighed. There was so much wrong with this. Aside from being a terrible plan, I really didn't know if I could help.

I wasn't much of a fighter. I trained, sure, I trained hard, but I had only been in one battle and my very capable master was there helping the entire time. More than that though, I didn't know if my training would even help in a heavy, clunky body like this.  And I. . . I was scared. Now that I knew pain, I knew that I didn't want to suffer it any longer, I wanted to avoid it at all costs.

I was a coward.

But I was still the guardian of Angel Falls, the statue proved my fall hadn't changed that. I couldn't let it continue to change me. My flock needed me, coward or not.

"Sure, Ivor." I said finally. "I'd love to see how this plan works out."

His face brightened. "Knew it! Right then, you lead the way, Altairis."

"Wait. What?" When did this become my terrible idea?

"Oho, don't worry, It's easy enough to find. You just head out of the village and follow the road east."

"That's not--"

"Oh yeah, and let's keep this to ourselves, okay? We don't want everyone sticking their beaks in."

Before I could reply, Erinn strode towards us, a look of suspicion on her face.

"What's going on? How come you and Ivor are so pally?" she asked, looking at me.

Ivor jumped in to answer straight away. "We got off on the wrong foot, but now we've had the chance to chat, we've found that we get on okay after all." Ivor said, beaming at her.

It was surprising just how easy it was for him to lie, especially to someone who normally unwinds him with a glance. Equally surprising was his grin. Unlike the one he gave me earlier, this one made him look quite. . . respectable. Charming, even!

"That's why we're hanging around together. Just trying to get to know each other a bit better." he continued, casually draping an arm around my shoulder.

Erinn looked to me for confirmation.

"Yeah, what he said."

What? They never went over lying in guardian training.

The expression on Erinn's face became easy, losing the questions in her eyes. "I must admit that it sounds a bit unlikely. Still, if you're getting on, that's the main thing. Oh! Here." Erinn handed me a small, warm bundle. "If you're going to be running off around town you should be sure to eat. I know you're feeling better, Altairis, but I don't want you collapsing like you did yesterday. You must keep your strength up!"

I peeked inside the pouch and was greeted with the glorious aroma of salted pork strips and homemade bread. Like sleep, eating had been one of the most frightening things about my recovery, but now I've come to understand why the mortals kill each other over such things from time to time.

"Oh, I'll be sure to eat this, Erinn. No worries." I said, my mouth watering.

Erinn then went back inside to go tend to her own rumbling stomach, leaving Ivor and I alone. As soon as the door shut, Ivor wrenched his arm from around me and the suave facade he wore fell away. It seemed that I was stuck with the classic flavor Ivor for today.

"I said all that just to keep Erinn off my back, so don't go getting the wrong idea. I still don't trust you very much." he said.

I laughed in his face.

"Yeah yeah, whatever. Remember that time I promised not to tell anyone about your father tearing into you for being a lay about? Or when I decided to help you out just a few minutes ago? Or when I basically lied to the girl who has been caring for me since I got here just for your comfort? Yeah, okay. But I'm not trustworthy or anything. Sure." Before he had the chance to rebuttal I headed off down the road towards the towns item shop.

Without argument, Ivor followed behind.

"What're we doing here?" he asked as I strolled inside.

"You want me to help you out? You're going to buy me a weapon."

The store was befitting of a town like Angel Falls. It was quaint but charming and surprisingly varied. Jars of herbs lined the wooden shelves on either side of us while all the bits and pieces of armor and accessories for sale were displayed on the walls. What I was looking for was behind the counter though -- racks of weapons stood there, gleaming. Swords, whips and. . . fans? Who would use a fan to kill something? I image I still had a lot to learn about mortal combat.

"Hey! Why am I buying you a weapon?" Ivor asked incredulously. "Don't you have any money?"

"Well sure, I did. I also had my own sword but that was before I fell. They were washed away by the river."

Maybe I wasn't as bad at lying as I thought. I did lose my bronze sword, but I never owned a piece of gold in my life. What Celestrian had?

Ivor's eyes narrowed. "If this is some trick to get free--"

I growled in frustration. "Oh stuff it, you. I'll pay you back today. Once the monster murdering gets started I'll hand you all the gold I find, alright? It should more than pay off a. . ." I trailed off, looking at the weapons. "Ah! A Soldier's sword, perfect."

Ivor rolled his eyes but begrudgingly paid the owner as I took a few practice swings. I felt a bit of my former confidence surface as I held the familiar weight of a blade in my grasp. I may be of some use yet, it seemed.

As we headed across the second bridge and into the south side of town, a familiar face came skipping up to us. I heard Ivor groan behind me.

Yvette stopped and smiled up at me, clasping her hands together in front of her. "Oh! Miss Minstrel Lady Ma'am! Have you decided to do a performance for the town today? Oh please say that you will!" she pleaded with me, eyes brimming with hope.

"Ah, I'm sorry Yvette, I hate to disappoint you but I--"

"Just kidding!" she suddenly shouted, throwing her hands up. "That's just what daddy wishes you'd do, instead of mooching off of Erinn. He says the townsfolk could really use the boost!"

"M-Mooching?!" I had never been so offended. "Your father does know I've only just recovered, right? From falling off a _waterfall_?"

This must be some sort of mistake. Authority figures liked me, I'm great! I'm polite and a hard worker and. . . and! It wasn't my fault I was all beaten up!

"Yep!" Yvette chirped, breaking my heart a little more. "But I know your secret." she said, lowering her voice to a slightly more human decibel. "I know how you and my brother are going off to the mountain pass!"

" _Shh_!" Ivor broke into the conversation, arms flailing. "Keep your voice down, will you? We don't want the whole world to know!" he whispered angrily.

Yvette gave her brother a well-practiced, condescending smile. "It's okay. I won't tell Dad, if that's what you're worried about."

This kid.

"Yeah, well just make sure you don't, okay?" Ivor replied as he began pushing me in the direction of the town gate.

Yvette waved enthusiastically after us as we made our way down the dirt road. Once we passed by the ranch, I decided to try my hand at talking to Ivor as I would have liked to when I was invisible, to try to get to know him.  

"I can't help but notice how bubbly and friendly your sister is, Ivor. Were you like that as a child too?"

To my surprise, he wasn't resistant to conversation. "Nah. Not like Yvette. She really takes after our mom."

"Oh. I haven't met the mayor's wife yet. She must be quite the woman."

Ivor smiled, it was small, but it was genuine. "Moms great. She's not pushy at all like dad is. I just wish she weren't so sick these days."

"She's sick?"

As he answered, his face became sad. Concerned. "Yeah, just how Erinn was when she first got here. But I'm sure she'll get better, we have some of the freshest air and the purest water. I know she'll get strong again. I know. . ." 

I fell silent as we approached the town gate. I hadn't meant things to take such a sullen turn and I never realized Erinn had been sick before, it was hard to imagine considering how hard she worked now. Something about his story was bothering me though. I just couldn't place my finger on it.

Ivor fell in behind me as I marched towards the open fields outside of Angel Falls. Before we made it past the gateway though, I was greeted by Hugo. "Here comes another lamb to the slaughter! You can't go out there, you know. There are monsters about."

Before I had the chance to say anything, Ivor groaned and pushed me out of the way, still upset from our talk before. "Stop trying to scare people! We're leaving the village and there's nothing you can do about it."

Hugo stared at his friend in shock. "W-Wait a minute! What are you doing with _her_ , Ivor? Since when were you best mates?"

I knew what would lighten Ivor's mood. I gave Hugo my most hearty scoff as I clutched Ivor's hand in my own. "It took only one private moment at his house last night to know we could never deny our feelings for one another. We're in love, Hugo, and needless to say, he prefers my company to yours. Isn't that right, my little puddin' skin?"

His jaw dropped.

" _Gah_!" Ivor screamed as he shook off my hand. "W-What is wrong with you!? Why would you say something like that! Pudding. . . _what_!?"

"Ivor. . . " Hugo said, his voice astonished. "Is this true? . . .And why don't you ever like the pet names that _I_ give you?"                                                                                         

I laughed so hard I thought I was going to die.

"You are both such a pain sometimes!" Ivor shouted in frustration. Turning to his friend, he clarified. "We're just going to clear the landslide, that's all. Don't listen to a word that woman says!"

Hugo frowned at me as I wheezed in breathless laughter. "Oh, alright. . . But there really are monsters about, you know." Hugo said, still miffed.

"Nothing I can't handle. Just let us by, will you? Hold us up any longer and there'll be trouble!"

I shouldn't have been surprised to hear Ivor threaten his friend, but it did cease my cackling. I felt a little bad for Hugo, really.

Well, sort of. At least no one was sullen anymore.

"G-Go on then. I'm not stopping you. But if you get tired or hurt, you'll come straight back to the village if you know what's good for you."

With that warning in mind, and a death glare from my newest friend, we stepped out into the wild.

I knew quite a bit about the area around Angel Falls, I studied it on my own in preparation for Master Aquila's lessons and again with him by my side. Still, the place felt quite different from this angle.

The steep, rocky cliffs that surrounded the entire area never looked quite so high before, and the rolling hills of green never so vast. It was as frightening as it was beautiful. The river that ran from the waterfall in town led into a serene lake in the middle of it all, which heralded the half-way point of our journey to the mountain pass to the east.

Ivor refused to talk to me most of the way there, but broke his silence by threatening to push me into the lake as we passed. I took it as a unique sign of forgiveness and began talking about the area.

I shouldn't have been surprised to find that Ivor knew just as much about the place as I did. Apparently, he had spent a lot of time gathering medicinal and antidotal herbs for his mother and even sometimes to sell to the item shop.

"And over there, " he said, pointing across  the lake, "lies a great spot for harvesting Tanglewebs."

"Tanglewebs? Did your mother ask you for those too?"

He shook his head. "Nah, I bring those home for Yvette from time to time. She doesn't like being left behind, but there's no way I'd bring a noisy brat like her out here to attract monsters to me."

I chuckled. "Speaking of which. . . where are all of these monsters, anyway? We haven't ran into a single one." I said, feeling slightly awkward with my shiny new Soldier's sword hanging off my hip.

Ivor had no answers but was pleased to see that despite him having asked for my help, it was I that somehow ended up in debt to him.

Because our journey had been uneventful, we were making phenomenal time and agreed to take the detour around the lake and fetch little Yvette some Tanglewebs and harvest a few antidotal herbs on the way. As we ambled through the wooded area en route to our destination, I asked him about Erinn.  

"You said she was sick when she first came to Angel Falls, right? Can you tell me about that?"

Ivor shrugged. "There's not much to tell. Apparently her mom was sickly and so was she. I remember when she and her dad first moved here. Erinn was always upstairs in her bed all day, all skinny and ghastly pale. I brought her flowers almost every day thinking that would make her better." A little smile emerged on his face as he recalled the details. "See, folks always brought mom and dad flowers whenever they weren't feeling their best and then they ended up getting well again, so I thought that's just how it worked."

Frowning again, he continued. "I was starting to get real upset that no matter how many flowers I got her, she just wouldn't get out of bed. Then one day I went over to her house to tell her I wasn't going to bother with it anymore when I noticed her standing outside, all on her own. She was looking at that dumb guardian statue of ours, crying. I went over there and that silly girl was smiling as she was bawling her eyes out! And she looked so. . . well, I was a kid and I thought she looked funny standing there all crazy like that but really, I'll never forget how pretty I thought she was. . . how pretty she is."

He shook his head, as if shaking the memories from his mind. "Funny thing is, she doesn't seem to remember her time being sick. I mean, she is a bit younger than me but still! I think that's why she's so keen on Celestri-whatevers, even if she doesn't know it. Anyway, I'll always remember. . ." he trailed off awkwardly, realizing how much he had been talking.

"Not much to tell, huh?" I teased.

"Aw, shut up." he said, blushing.

"You know. . ." I began, as we started carefully picking Tanglewebs from an abandoned nest. "Erinn seems to think you don't like her very much anymore, or at least that's the vibe I was getting from her this morning."

Ivor stiffened. "What? But that's not true at all! . . .Well, maybe I haven't been so nice to her lately. . ."

"But why?" I asked. "Why be rude to someone you seem to care for so much? I don't understand it."

Ivor chucked the Tangleweb he was holding. "It's just that I'm frustrated! I don't know why I'm mean to her! It's just when I was nice it never seemed to be enough, and then she went and forgot all the things I did for her when she was sick. . . the flowers, the talks, her crying and smiling in my arms. . . All of it gone! Why waste kindness on someone who never remembers it?"

I put my hands on my hips, scowling at him. "Oh that's just silly! Of course being nice to someone isn't going to make them fall in love with you! Even I know people don't work that way. And besides, Erinn isn't a child anymore and she certainly isn't sick. The kind things you do for her now will not be forgotten, just as the unkind things aren't."

"But--"

"And _furthermore_ , you can't hold her memory loss against her like that! I've been in a bed for only a week and have a hard time remembering what happened during, I can't imagine how tough that would be for someone who was bedridden all their childhood." I folded my arms under my chest. "Just. . . be honest with her and yourself. I can see that you're capable of incredible kindness, Ivor, and I think that's something Erinn could need right now. And besides," I said, losing the edge in my voice, "I don't believe she's forgotten the things you've done for her. If she had, she wouldn't have been so sad to see you act the way you do."

Hurt flashed across Ivor's face.

"Sad? I made her. . . Aw man, that's not what I want at all!"

Sighing in frustration, Ivor suddenly went over and picked up the Tangleweb he had tossed, then handed it to me.

"What's this for?" I asked.

"You take this and the herbs we collected. I'll keep a web for Yvette and you sell all the rest at the shop. It won't be enough to pay me all back yet but whatever, I know you're good for it. I trust you."

That brought a grin to my face. "Thanks. Now what do you say we hurry on and deal with that landslide for Eri--er, for everyone's sake?"

Ivor smiled. "Yeah! Ivor to the rescue! And remind me to stop and pick some flowers on our triumphant way back, alright?"

I couldn't help but feel good as we made our way east towards the mountain pass. His plan was still rubbish, but I was pretty happy to have been included in it. Popping the last bit of bacon I had left in my mouth, I decided that a day so full of improbability wasn't so bad after all.


	7. Grace and Guts

Once Ivor and I made our way out of the wooded area to the west, we agreed we had done enough talking. Frankly, I was just relieved I was able to find a half-decent boy under all that nervous bluster of his. So instead of pushing the boundaries too far, we chose to use up all the energy we thought we'd be spending on monster slaying on a friendly little race to the mountain pass.

And boy was I out of shape.

I felt heavy ever since my fall, and I had assumed that the aches from my recent injuries would impede me but. . . _wow_. Without my wings for propulsion, everything relied on my legs -- and they weren't quite up to the task.

For a Celestrian, my legs were strong. I walked far more than was truly necessary of my kind, in no small thanks to my endless fascination with mortals. Regardless, these legs did not compare to a true humans. As Ivor sprung forward after the word ' _Go_ ', I barely begun to move. Hardly even a minute in and my lower body begun to wobble.

I had a habit of dismissing mortals when in comparison to my own kind; not completely unreasonably, I think. But I wasn't my own kind now, was I? I was broken and bruised, quickly realizing my confidence was misplaced.  It seemed to be a curse of not only my blood, but of my own personality to believe I was always in such absolute control -- that I could never possibly fail or fall short somehow. And I so loved the feel of competition, because I never thought I could lose. I had believed I learned something from Master Aquila regarding this, but it seemed I was foolish even still.

And It was _doubly_ foolish of me to race against someone like Ivor. He was a picture of perfect health. Well, maybe not perfect emotional health, but physically he was in top condition. He may not have had the heavy upper body muscles of someone who lacked Ivor's natural disdain for physical labor, but he was brimming with vitality and his leanness made him quick and agile.

I could only criticize his not-so-aerodynamic tower of blonde hair he obsessively styled. He may have trounced me in a race but he looked ridiculous doing it. Not that anything short of a glorious victory would see my pride assuaged.

Despite my relatively glacial pace, I was able to make it to the pass just as the sun reached its highest point in the sky.

Leaning against a tree, Ivor calmly waited for me. As I carried my leaden feet forward, he smiled -- his arms crossed and his face smug. Breathlessly we continued on into the forested mountain clearing. So maybe I was the only breathless one; Ivor simply didn't talk. He didn't need to, he was happy to let his eyes silently gloat as I panted awkwardly a few steps behind.

I would have glowered at him if I had the energy for it.

Trying to ignore my weakening limbs and desire to attack blonde village boys, I took a good look at the scenery around me. Having only experienced an aerial view of the land, I never realized just how extraordinary nature was. We had trees, grass and flowers in the Observatory, but mostly I lived around smooth stone and sculpted columns. It was astonishing to see just how varied plant life was down in the protectorate; or rather, how sparse it was at home.

The only flowers I had known were the pink water lilies and ghostly white tulips of the Observatory. Each of them carefully placed and tended for -- they were groomed with the same love of structure we Celestrians were. Alongside the path I trudged on now were a myriad of colored petals blanketing the ground either side of us, all unfamiliar and exciting. They bloomed wild and free of any need for conformity. They were beautiful.

Even the trees, though almost uniform compared to their flower neighbors, were still far more unique than I had ever given them credit for. From above they seemed like a peaceful sea of green, but up close their diversity was quite clear. Leaves of all shapes and sizes waved at me in the breeze and I had the strangest urge to fly up and touch them, feel the difference between the foliage of the protectorate and that of the Observatory. It fascinated me.

It was also a painful reminder that I didn't have wings anymore and probably no home to return to either. I pushed it from my mind. As if I had the energy and Ivor the patience to let me feel up the trees, anyhow.  Still, before I could completely shut the door on such thoughts, a small voice inside reminded me it didn't matter; I had already seen the greatest tree of all, and nothing could ever compare to Her.

Not a minute later, the trail opened up considerably. From the clearing proper were two paths; a small offshoot to the south with a tiny pond at its end, and a well-trodden road northward that curved further east. In the midst of it all, setting dead-on in front of me, was a broken and battered carriage of the Starflight Express.

I simply stood there, wide eyed and gasping for air. I wasn't sure if it was from being out of shape, the shock of seeing something from the Observatory, or the violent surge of emotion lancing through me, but I couldn't get my heart to slow down.

The front of the Starflight Express sat there, impassive and lacking its usual glow. All of its fine details were still there, but it looked like a mere ghost of the exquisite being it once was. I imagined I must have looked quite the same.

Ivor waved a hand in front of my face.

"Hey, what is wrong with you? What are you staring at?" he asked, one part concerned, most parts eager to keep going.

I couldn't find my voice. I simply pointed ahead of me, my finger trembling slightly. How could he not have noticed it already?

Ivor turned to look more closely. A second later he gave me a confused glance. "It's just a fallen tree. I don't get what's so fascinating about it. . .You can be properly weird sometimes, you know that?"  he said, patting me roughly on the back as he waited for me to catch my breath.

So he couldn't see it at all? Was I so tired and home sick that I was hallucinating things?

I coughed and sputtered a bit before speaking again. "Ah, yeah I'm just worn out, you know? You uh, you just go on ahead without me, okay? It might take awhile before my legs solidify again." I said, sheepishly rubbing my still throbbing shins.

Ivor rolled his eyes. "Leave me to do all the work, huh? Fine, I'll go on ahead but you better get a hold of yourself quick!" he shouted as he ran off up the path north.

It was nice he didn't need much convincing to leave me behind.

Once he was out of sight, I let myself fall backwards onto the dirt as gently as I could manage. My muscles felt over worked and heavy as stone and I gladly gave into gravity's embrace. Closing my eyes to keep out the blinding sun, I took deep breaths and began questioning my sanity.

I had seen the Starflight Express fall that night. I _knew_ that happened. Its destruction heralded the whole calamity to follow. I remembered the screams and looks of horror on my people's faces -- my brother's face -- far too vividly to have just imagined that part. They fell, and like me, that meant the pieces had to have ended up somewhere.

As I felt my heart slow it's pace, I crooked my neck forward to chance a look in the Starflight's direction.

"Still there. . ." I murmured.

Unsure if I should be relieved that the situation wasn't all just a figment of my imagination, I forced myself back to my protesting feet and wandered over to the train car. Cautiously, I pressed my fingertips against the engravings on the back door. The metal was painfully cold and I withdrew my hand with a slight gasp. It was difficult to come to terms with touching the Starflight for the first time. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Why had everything gone so horribly wrong?

I sucked in my breath and tried to steel myself for what I would do next. This was the front car of the Express, so it should have what I need to run it inside. I just needed to _get_ inside. So I clasped the handle to the door and tried with all my might to open it up, pain hissing through me as I clung to the burning cold metal.

It wasn't budging.

I let go and held my bleeding hands to my chest, doubling over in pain. The skin of my palms blistered all over and I wondered idly through a haze of agony if I could have Ivor hack them off for me. I shot a spiteful glance at the Starflight. It's door wasn't locked by some mere mechanism, but rather sealed by greater means, like magic.

Then something inside of me clicked. _Magic_!

I never studied magic much, it just didn't interest me the same way weapons training did. It didn't demand the same sense of dance and grace; though I'd be silly to think I had much of that at my disposal right now either. There was one spell, however, that every Celestrian knew, and was the very first thing Apus Major had ever taught me: Heal.

It was the most simple of the restorative spells, and was considerably useful in the hands of a proper healer or priest. I was no priest. I couldn't manage to drum up the spell after my fall, when I needed it most, and had since cast the notion of trying to use it again from my mind. I didn't like that feeling of failure -- it made the pain just that much more intense.

But I certainly couldn't let my wounded pride rob me of the chance to use my hands again. I searched for that well of power deep within my chest. It was a place that was inside of me and all other people, but felt like it was coming from an entirely different source. It was a small part of my being, but somehow managed to be bigger than myself. It was a confusing feeling and I realized then just how out of touch I was with my magic.

I mumbled the short incantation for the spell almost apologetically, and focused the sparks of healing energy welling within me towards my palms. I probably could have spared some healing for my defeated limbs, but I didn't want to risk over estimating my magical mending as I tended to do with everything else lately. My legs would get strong again in time.

After the pain faded and my skin smoothed back into a recognizable shape, that well of magic within me felt noticeably drained. That was the problem with ignoring my spell casting -- just like my muscles, it would grow weak if I didn't train it, and I had a lot of making up to do.

I flexed my fingers a few times while I contemplated what to do about the Starflight. I didn't have the time for that at the moment though, I still had a job to do here. Annoyance shot through me for having to deal with anything else, and right after, I felt a pang of shame. What had I really planned to do? Take the Starflight home and never look back? Sure, there was no way Ivor and I were really going to clear a landslide today, but he had still asked for my help and I agreed to give it. Was I really okay with abandoning one of my flock like that? Even if Ivor didn't believe in Celestrians, and even if I wasn't feeling much like one, I shouldn't be okay with just picking and choosing when and when not to act as a Guardian whenever it suited me. I didn't want to be that kind of person.

I take my job seriously. At least that's what I would keep telling myself.

It wasn't long till I caught up with Ivor and the huge mess he'd claimed he and I would heroically sort out. The landslide was, well, _a landslide_. Earth, rocks and bits of trees cluttered the wide path in a giant pile in front of us and effectively ceased any notions any young men might have had about clearing the thing up.

Ivor stood, leaning against the wall of earth to the left of us, his eyes closed and a look of complete misery etched into his face. Worry usually made people look older. It just made Ivor look petulant and childish.

"So, how goes the mission?" I asked, alerting him to my presence.

He jolted in response, then deflated with a great sigh. "Oh, there you are." he said, his voice lacking the contempt I had expected. Ivor turned towards the landslide, "This is worse than I thought! It's so much bigger than I imagined. . . you and I will never be able to shift this on our own. Stupid landslide!" he snarled, fists clenched.

I wanted to tease him for really believing we could have ever cleared up an entire landslide on our own, but he had that same sincere frustration I saw in him during our conversation about he and Erinn's past, and I simply couldn't bring myself to mess with him. At a loss, I said nothing and just stood beside him in what I hope was a supportive fashion.

It must have been, since not long after, he continued speaking; his voice taking on that uncomfortable warbled quality of someone about to cry. "I was all ready to see the look on Dad's face when I came back to the village a hero. . . " In a flash of rage, he kicked the base of the landslide, sending bits of earth flying up in his own face. He broke down into heavy sobs, hugging his knees to his chest.

Ivor was full of unexpected emotions it seemed. I felt like I had been handling his outbursts pretty well thus far, but I was mortified by his tears. It wasn't like Celestrians never cried. I acknowledged my need to cry, just as we all did, but it was such a private and controlled thing -- not something we displayed for others. I felt ashamed for him, and then ashamed at my own reaction to it.

I had been struggling so hard against my own feelings of despair for so long now, that I was angry someone else had an easier time of crying. I was _jealous_ of an obviously broken and hurting person because they could at least reveal how hurt they were. Maybe my contempt for this show of emotion was due to the difference in our species. . . Or maybe it was simply a flaw in myself that I refused to accept. I was supposed to be Celestrian, after all. I was supposed to be free of these horrible feelings. All I needed to worry about was my own success and purpose, which was shared amongst us all. Humans, mortals, they weren't like that. Ivor had his own desires, and he lacked a firm purpose; no one was there to give that to him. The pressure of his station in life and the expectations of his family were destroying him; making him cry like a child in front of a near stranger. And here I was, angry and jealous of it.

I judged him by Celestrian standards, as if we were equals in the matter. But the truth was, I never could accept how emotional I was for my kind. So I hid every feeling deep inside. And this is what its turned me into. How could I possibly help anyone?

Before I was able to steep in that painful monologue any longer, a voice rang out from the other side of the landslide. " _Hellooo_! Is somebody there?" a masculine voice bellowed, snapping my and Ivor's attention back towards the rocks. "Hellooo! If you're there, say something!"

Ivor shot up as he shouted in reply. "Hey! I'm over here. It's me, Ivor from Angel Falls. No doubt you've heard of me!"

Glad to see _he's_ feeling better, then.

"Jings!" Exclaimed the muffled voice. "Someone from angel Falls! We're soldiers sent from Stornway. King Schott sent us to clear the landslide."

Ivor turned to me wide eyed. "Blimey! The King of Stornway must really rate Angel Falls to bother helping us out."

I contemplated that. "Well I'm sure he does, but I doubt leaving the slide here is hardly in the best interest for his own people either. I guess it doesn't matter, so long as it gets done. But what does this mean for us right now?" I asked, hoping the answer would be along the lines of _'letting them do their jobs'_.

Ivor shrugged. "I suppose that means we're not really needed here, then. Let them have at it. Huh! Now I wish we hadn't bothered coming all this way." He said with a renewed sense of annoyance.

I wasn't sure whether to be glad or to admonish him for giving up on his plans so easily. As we turned to leave, another soldier cried out towards us.

"Excuse me! There's an urgent matter we need to ask you about. Do you happen to know if a lass called Patty made her way to your village just after the earthquake?"

Ivor narrowed his eyes in thought for a moment then looked toward me. "Your real name isn't Patty, right?"

Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. "My real name is _Altairis._ " I assured.

Ivor gave me a skeptical look before answering the soldier. "Nope, doesn't ring any bells. Why would she want to come to Angel Falls anyway?"

"Aye, well, rumor has it she was on her way there through the Hexagon. The path there's been blocked too, though, so we've no way of finding out where she is."

"The Hexagon? That old ruin we used to have to go traipsing all the way through before this pass was built?" Ivor said to himself, voice full of disbelief. "No one goes there anymore. It's jam-packed with monsters and falling apart so badly it might come down on your head!" he replied more loudly. "There's no way a woman would go there alone. The rumors must be wrong."

I scanned my memory for mention of the Hexagon, and my heart begun to sink. It was a structure on the far south of the land that was built into the mountains. I remembered poking around the entrance before during my studies, but decided against going inside. Celestrians were all a bit claustrophobic by nature. We get all jittery when we can't see the sky at any given moment, and the Hexagon was completely underground. It was less than ideal for my kind and I had a terrible feeling about the place.

"Alright, well perhaps you could just relay to your village the fact that the road will be open again soon. And if you could ask around about Patty while you're at it, that'd be grand." the soldier said, a bit discouraged.

Ivor didn't seem to notice. "No problemo! Just leave it to me. You can always count on Ivor!" he shouted with a fresh sense of excitement. He spun toward me again, exhausting me in the face of his boundless energy and mercurial attitude. "Come on, Altairis, home time! I reckon they'll all be pretty pleased to hear the news." He declared as he ran off ahead of me.

I was not in shape for another race with this boy.

"Ivor, W-Wait! You gotta tell me, what does what does 'Jings' mean!?" I shouted as I began my slog after him.

I chanced another glance at the Starflight Express as we ran through the clearing. Rubbing my palms anxiously, I decided then that I had to come back here alone and investigate more thoroughly. I was lucky Ivor had come up with such a brainless plan and then had been fool-hearty enough to ask me along. Who knew my first lead would be so nearby? The thought of discovering more about my situation invigorated me, and with a second wind, I steadily caught up with Ivor.

By 'caught up' I mean I could actually see him again. He had been ambushed by monsters.

He had been waylaid by a Sacksquatch and a Cruelcumber, both some of the stronger foes in the area. I felt the set of my jaw harden as I looked at the Cruelcumber and his spear, memories of my one and only battle flashing through my mind. I was afraid then, as I had been afraid earlier today. But I didn't have time for fear when my flock was at stake.

Readying my blade, I charged into the fray.

A more agile enemy would have had plenty of time to avoid my attack. Thick crimson spurted forth from the hole I left in its torso as I drew back my sword. Before I gave it a chance to recover, I scored another cut across the monsters abdomen, sending an arc of blood spattering against my own chest, finishing him off.

I felt pretty good about my performance, until I saw Ivor.

He took one lightning fast swipe at the oncoming Sacksquatch and it immediately burst into purple smoke. Another Cruelcumber jumped out from a patch of brush beside us and he felled it in one go with his dagger, not a single line of worry on his face.

And then it hit me: _Ivor was better than me._

He was stronger. He was faster. He showed no mercy.

He was so _calm_ while doing it too. I had learned a lot about Ivor during this little trip. I had seen his wide range of emotions and heard him confess his feelings and insecurities. I had gained much of his trust.

Nothing told me more about him than watching him battle.

No matter what he was doing, who he was talking to or what he was talking about, Ivor always got nervous and emotional over something. So I would never had pegged him for having nerves of steel in battle. The way he dispatched his enemies told me that he was far more learned than I had originally thought. I had studied the monsters here, but I didn't know them the same way he did. I just had basic observational knowledge; he had far more personal information. Each darting stab and quick swing was perfectly timed and placed to be as brutally efficient as possible. Ivor may not have had the same grace with a weapon a trained combatant did, but he didn't need grace when he had guts. _Confidence_. Fighting against a monster he wasn't familiar with, I doubt he'd fare so well. But here? In the land of Angel Falls, there was no one better equipped to kill than he was. 

And he had asked for _m_ _y_ help with enemies. I was both embarrassed and proud at the same time. It was still not so simple for me to accept being less skilled than a mortal, but I couldn't deny the delight I felt in seeing a member of my flock -- my friend, even -- fight so wonderfully.

And maybe he could be my friend. Maybe a friend was exactly what he and I both needed.

Picking up what gold the monsters had on them before they died, Ivor and I complimented each other's technique and begun swapping tips and stories. Only stopping once to pick some wild flowers for Erinn, we made our way back to town together, officially friends in arms.


	8. At a Loss

As we neared the town gate, Ivor and I casually swapped compliments like old friends as we divvied up the gold we collected. I was lucky we ended up running into as many foes as we did on our journey back to Angel Falls. Apus Major taught me ages ago that monsters big and small had an insatiable lust for gold, and a handy knack for finding it. When it was all said and done, I had enough cash to pay Ivor back for the Soldiers Sword I forced him to buy me, and a little something left over. Very little, in fact, but it was more than I had ever had before. More than I believed I needed.

Knowing that, I offered Ivor the Tanglewebs he had given me to sell earlier. He drew his hands away and said it was 'no big thing' for him to get more, and to keep them as a souvenir of Angel Falls 'or whatever'. With that, I imagined he could cross 'town greeter' off his list of viable career options, but it was a kind gesture all the same.

As soon as Ivor and I sauntered into town, Hugo was there; brown eyes so wide they looked like they would fall out of his head. "Hey, Ivor! You're back! Manage to clear up the landslide, did you?" he asked hopefully.

Ivor gave a hearty laugh. "Just wait 'til I tell you the news!" he replied with a grin.

"Ooh! What is it? Tell me! Tell me! Stop looking so smug and just spill the beans!"

Ivor pretended to consider, gladly allowing his friend to boil in curiosity for a few long seconds. "Nah." Ivor said finally. "I have to report to Dad first, don't I? Then I'll come back and fill you in."

Hugo's eagerness left him and disappointment filled the vacancy. It wouldn't have surprised me if Ivor had proceeded to pet poor Hugo on the head before telling him to be a 'good boy' and wait for his treat.

I was beginning to like Ivor, but not the way he treated other people. I may have gotten him to be kinder to me, but he was still in need of an attitude adjustment. Or a lesson in tact. Though. . . perhaps I wasn't the one best suited to bring up that particular criticism.

"Oh. . . okay." Hugo said, dissatisfied, before turning his attention elsewhere. ". . .Hey, what are those flowers for?" he asked, his sight falling to the bouquet in Ivor's hand.

Ivor instinctively hid the flowers behind his back like a child caught stealing, before stuttering out what an _i_ _m_ _mense_ hurry we were in. I couldn't decide whether his embarrassment was sweet or utterly ridiculous. Perhaps it was a bit of both.

I gave a polite wave to Hugo as Ivor and I went by, silently wondering how someone with as little mortal contact as myself could end up more comfortable with people than Ivor seemed to be. Gifts or not, it would take an eternity for him to catch Erinn's heart acting this way.

Before reaching the inn, Ivor insisted we stop by the ranch to ask its owner -- Mr. Algernon, he informed me -- if he could have some ribbon or string to tie his freshly picked flowers together with. When asked, the rancher gave Ivor a knowing smile and went inside to see what he could find. While we waited, a young boy who had been playing with the animals spotted us.

Scurrying our way, the boy ran a small hand through his brown, bowl-cut hair, only for it to fall neatly back into place. "You guys! You went to the pass, didn't you?" he asked, still fidgeting with his hair.

Ivor practically exploded. " _Yvette_! That little brat went and blabbed to everyone and their uncle what we planned to do, didn't she!?" he screamed more to himself than to anyone else in particular.

"Well, she did only promise not to tell your father." I offered. Ivor wasn't amused.

The boy tried to turn our attention back to him by clearing his throat all adult like. It came out as a rather precious squeak. "You know, I saw a big shiny thing fall from the sky over there when the earthquake happened." he continued once our eyes were back on him. "I don't suppose you found anything there?"

I was about to say 'no', until I thought about the Starflight Express. It wasn't gold and shining anymore, but it was when it fell from the Observatory. Could this boy have seen it? "Yes. . ." I whispered numbly, a rush of thoughts overwhelming me.

No mortal was capable of seeing the celestial carriage as it flew through the sky, so how did this boy notice it? Did that mean the Starflight was changed somehow during the fall? Was it as useless and broken as I was? Ivor still couldn't see it, but it's glamour was obviously faltering, it's magic compromised; could it still get me home? How desperately I wished to have the Observatory's library at my disposal at times such as these.

Ivor cut through my thoughts with a derisive snort. "You're just saying that to make him happy. You never saw anything of the sort!" he declared accusingly.

The boys excited face fell. "So it's not true. .  .?" he asked as he hung his head.

I meant to comfort him but faltered when I realized I had no explanation to offer that didn't leave me sounding like a liar or a madwoman. Would I tell him the truth? I wasn't even sure what the truth was. It wouldn't have mattered though, before I had the time to even reach out my hand, he looked up at me with hate filling in his small eyes.

"Yvette was wrong, you're mean, Altairis. And a big, fat liar!" He shouted before running off. Hands clenched into tiny fists; his childish dreams of gold and adventure thoroughly dashed.

I glared at Ivor. "Can't let anyone be happy but you, huh?"

"I was doing him a favor. He's gotta grow up and know what's real and what isn't."

I felt my temper flare. "Like you're one to make that distinction! Plus, he's still just a child!"

Ivor shrugged, but something hateful crept into his voice. "I just don't want him to get hurt later on when he finds out that shining treasures don't fall out of the sky. Life isn't easy as all that. There are too many people out there who think some greater power will do everything for them." He fixed me with a cold stare, "What was half of this town doing today? Praying that their problems would be magically fixed! Did you see me asking some Guardian to help me out? No, and I'm the only one here that has any good news."

Normally I'd have been delighted with the irony of Ivor's declaration, but something was eating him up, and it was more than his issues with his dad. I was frustrated with him, but I still wanted to help; I just didn't know how to approach the subject. I still had a long way to go before understanding these boundaries, especially in regards to such a _uniquely_ fickle human.

Before I was able to settle on a reply, a wide band of silken vermilion ribbon bobbed in the air between us. We both looked up to see it held firmly between a rough set of fingers. "Sorry ta interrupt but I found a couple a spare pieces of trimming the Missus had in her scraps box. I figured since yer so in love, _boy_ , I'd give ya the most romantic lookin' one I could find." Mr. Algernon said as he gave Ivor a toothy grin.

Red as a beet, Ivor impulsively replied, "I-I don't even know what you're. . . _Argh_." he sighed, snatching the ribbon from the older man's hands, defeated. "This is perfect. . .thanks."

As Ivor began fussing about with the flowers and ribbon, I turned my attention to the rancher. "So how's your new horse feeling? Er, Dime, right?" I asked.

The grisly looking man adjusted the brim of his well-worn straw hat as he nodded. "She's doin' a right bit better now. I thought I'd lose 'er without the Guardian lookin' out for me, but it seems I'm more capable than I gave myself credit for."

I blinked in surprise. "You thought the Guardian stopped looking out for you?"

"Mhm." he replied rather nonchalantly. "At first. But after a heart to heart with the Missus, I now see good 'ol Altairis just wanted me to have a little faith in my own two hands. After takin' a long hard look at all I've accomplished, I sure am proud." he said, placing a large calloused hand lovingly on the muzzle of one of his prized horses.

I grinned, mimicking the action. I was proud of him too.

"Got it!" Ivor shouted suddenly, lifting the bouquet up in triumph.

"Oh. Wow, Ivor, those look really great." I said with no small amount of awe.

Ivor had been very careful about the flowers he had picked on our journey returning home, choosing a calculated mix of closed buds and fully bloomed Anemone, Aster, Beardtongue and Blanketflower. He positioned them in a way that looked effortless but neat, and bound them tightly together with the ribbon, tying it off in a modest bow at the center.

As he was gathering the various blossoms, Ivor admitted that his interest in the subject stemmed from his mother, who was a skilled flower-arranger. I had never heard of such a thing, and greedily ate up every bit of information he would divulge. As the villagers would say, I was 'chuffed as chips' to have been able to recall the many names and subtleties of the plants I was taught. It was fluff compared to the studies I had committed myself to before, but I had been a student for so long that I truly enjoyed learning; regardless of teacher and subject.

To my surprise, Ivor took our ' _oohing_ ' and ' _ahing_ ' compliments over his work with a perfectionists cynical humility, rather than his usual boisterous arrogance. This was important to him; everything had to be just right for Erinn. I suppose I couldn't tease him for it, he hadn't been in the best of terms with her lately, and I'd noticed that she could wield a sharp tongue where Ivor was concerned. I suddenly felt very nervous for him; I really wanted this to go well.

After a well meaning 'Good luck' from Mr. Algernon, Ivor and I made our way to the Inn where we were sure to find Erinn; working away, knowing full-well no customers were coming. Calling her dedicated would be a vast understatement, no, she was obsessed with her work -- with that place. After all, it was the only thing she had left of her father, and it had become quite clear to me since my fall that family had strange effects on people. Even Celestrians.

Casting my second-hand anxiety away as best I could, I took a great deep breath of clean air and distracted myself with the scenery around me. The sun had begun to set, and its rays played off the water of the falls in a brilliant display of light. On the small island in the middle of the river, a man knelt and dipped a conspicuously ornate glass bottle into the water. After he finished filling it, he held it up against the light of the fading day. The water was pure, clear as the glass that contained it.

"Hey, Ivor." I said, turning towards him.

Ivor twitched and looked around till his gaze landed on me. Apparently I had broken his focus."Huh? Yes?" he replied.

I smiled apologetically. "Didn't mean to scare you, I was just wondering about something you mentioned to me earlier."

Ivor seemed to relax a bit and ran his free hand through his tower of styled, blonde hair, barely disheveling it. "S'okay. I was just thinking about what to say to Erinn."

"And?"

He grimaced. "And I still don't know what I'm going to say." Ivor blew out his breath, trying to ease the tension in him. "C'mon, what was it you wanted to ask? Help me take my mind off this."

"Well," I said, turning towards the falls, "I was thinking about the water here. When you were talking about your mother before -- how she was sick -- you said she should be okay because Angel Falls has the purest water. I knew this town was known for its water, but I assumed people just meant the falls." I gestured to the roaring waterfall as it gleamed with the rays of the setting sun caught in its downpour, marking my point. "It is beautiful, after all."

Ivor nodded, a strange vacant look blanketing his face as I continued.

"But I see now that the water really is quite exceptional in its purity, and you mentioned that Erinn was brought here of all places to get healthy. . . and keeping in mind my own speedy recovery, I can't help but wonder, is there something more to this water?" I asked, turning to face Ivor.

He said nothing. He just stared into the shimmering water, mesmerized. No, not mesmerized, he didn't appear to be seeing the water at all.

I frowned. "Ivor? I'm asking if the water here has any actual healing effect. It's important that I know. That's what the town is really known for, isn't it?" I asked more directly as I put a hand on his shoulder, trying to get his attention.

Ivor still didn't meet my eyes.

"Hold this." He said, holding out the bouquet towards me; his voice flat, expressionless.

I took the flowers gently, as to not undo the hard work Ivor put into arranging them, before speaking again. "Ivor, what is wrong with you? You look--"

Before I could continue, Ivor cut me off with a piercing shriek that sent my heart into my stomach. Falling to his knees, Ivor continued to scream, his arms wrapped around himself in a mock hug, sudden tears pouring down his anguished face.

I stood there, bouquet in hand, stunned.

"I-Ivor? What's going on? What's wrong?" I felt my mouth go dry as I looked around wildly, hoping to see the kind nun out on her walk or even one of those gossipy ladies, anyone. But there was no one around to help. Should I go find someone? Would it even be okay for me to leave him like this?

Ivor continued to scream, high, aching and inhuman, as he began rocking back and forth; his nails digging into his sides as he held himself tighter. His chocking sobs snapped me out of my indecision.

I threw the flowers out of my way as I dropped to his side, readying a Heal spell in the back of my mind and begging the Almighty that I had enough magic left in me to make it happen.

"Ivor." I began, my voice wavering in fear, "It's going to be okay. I'm here, just tell me where it hurts." I said, readying the sparks of healing magic in my fingertips. "Please, Ivor, tell me where you're hurting." I heard my words grow thick in my throat as my eyes became hot with the promise of tears. What was happening to my friend?

Ivor's scream died down into a whimper and he turned his face towards me, his features etched with visible agony as he whispered. "Everywhere. It hurts _everywhere_."

Tears fell from my eyes and at a loss of what to do, I laid my hands on him, willing the Heal spell I had mustered into his body. Nothing happened.

"Ivor. . ." I whispered, not knowing what else to say.

He was perfectly still for a second while he looked into my eyes and then, for just a moment, it seemed as though he saw through me and into something else entirely. Then the words poured out of him.

"She's dead. She's been dead for months. You have her eyes. I thought maybe I'd be okay after she died, I thought I could cope, but then you show up with her eyes." Ivor's tears returned with full force. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I was cruel, that I lied about her, but I just didn't want to admit she. . ." His words dissolved into full body sobs as he begun to rock himself again.

 _'Yeah! This is where daddy and Ivor and me live!_ ', I heard Yvette's chirpy voice echo through my mind as I realized what had bothered me about Ivor's earlier story about his mother's sickness. Yvette never mentioned her mom; she was already dead before I had fell. I quickly thought back to when I was still under Aquila's apprenticeship and searched my memory for the last time a woman had died in Angel Falls. I hadn't known it was Ivor's mother. I didn't remember anything about the day really, other than Aquila's brief lesson on mortal grief.

_"It is unwise to take the requests of grieving mortals seriously. You see, Altairis, death effects everyone close to it; hollowing those it surrounds. Mortals are especially unhappy with we Celestrians in these dark moments. They feel we turn our backs on them out of cruelty, but we do so for their own good. The wishes of one crazed by death can only cause more sadness, so time is the only comfort we can bestow."_

But time had passed and it hadn't been enough, not for Ivor. So I offered him another comfort, one I was only capable of in this meager form. I held him as he cried and shared in his pain. I was relieved, glad to know Ivor wasn't in the physical pain I first thought he was, but it was fleeting, as I knew he was feeling an equally real pain -- a pain that a simple spell couldn't touch.

It felt as if hours had passed, but in reality, the whole ordeal only lasted a handful of minutes. The last of which was spent in relative silence, nothing but the constant roar of the water beside us pervaded the air. It was Ivor that spoke first.

"You didn't have to do that. Not for me." Ivor's voice was slightly strained and rough, but there was something else that was different about his words. Something was all together changed about him. Softer.

I took him by the shoulder so I could look him directly in the eyes. I needed him to understand what I was about to say next. "Ivor. You are my friend. It's my job to do that, and I take my jobs seriously."

Ivor was quiet again for a second before breaking into a giant grin, laughing. "Bacon and biscuits, Altairis! No need to play the stoic Guardian for me."

I flushed and Ivor's laughter died down, but his smile remained. "Seriously, though, a good friend is always welcome in my life. I don't deserve them, my friends, but maybe I can start making up for that now. I just. . ." Ivor paused then laughed again. "I don't know what to say after all of that."

"You could tell me why you broke down all of a sudden. Was it something I said?"

Ivor's grin faded a bit. "Yeah, but it's not like that. You were asking about the Angel Tears, and it reminded me of my mom and Erinn's dad and how it wasn't enough to save either of them. . . I've held that contempt and sadness inside for so long now that once you mentioned it, I just broke down I guess."

I looked out over the water, holding in some sadness of my own. "Angel Tears, huh?"

"Yeah," Ivor began, stretching his arms over his head, "dad told me the story before, but it's puerile gibberish if you ask me. Basically, some wally saw the falls and thought they looked angelic so, you've got the Angel Falls. Then when they found that the water was pure and tasty, another poetic genius declared 'only the tears of an angel' could be so pure and, bam, Angel Tears. It's some of the dumbest rubbish I've ever been taught. Probably made up by a geezer trying to sell something, that's how all stories start, you know."

I doubted Ivor's story was accurate, but that didn't matter, what I needed to know was whether or not the water was truly magical. If the falls were enchanted, or so pure that it had a direct healing effect, then my quick recovery could very well be thanks to nearly _drowning in it_ rather than any Celestrian power or gift from the Almighty.

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. "So, does the water really have any magic in it?"

Ivor seemed to contemplate the falls for a minute before answering. "I think it probably does. Lots of people have gotten stronger after drinking it, and being raised on it myself. . . well, I just think maybe there is more to it than just being pure."

My heart sank.

"But," he suddenly continued, raising my hopes once more. "I don't think it's what people really make it out to be."

"Really?" I said a bit too eagerly. "I mean, why do you say that?"

Ivor looked down at his hands as he spoke, his eyes far away. "Things aren't as simple as that. Water doesn't just decide to heal some people but not others, it can't think that way; magic or not, it's still just water." He looked back up at me, regaining the light in his face. "I think it can only go so far and heal so much. It wasn't enough to stave off the disease mine and Erinn's parents had, but it was enough to get a little girl back on her feet. It's good, but it's not the miraculous cure-all people around here like to say it is. It doesn't really come from an angel, after all." he chuckled and the sound eased my nerves a bit.

It was no definitive answer, but it had me thinking. Maybe I had to let go of the idea that I was only _slightly_ removed from my Celestrianhood; that perhaps life was as unfair and cruel as Ivor believed it to be, and I was only alive because I had fallen into the right pond and lost all significance to my race when it happened.

I sighed and gave up on that line of thought, it was doing me no good; I still knew what I had to do, regardless of my condition. Instead, I let my mind wander to Ivor, how he must have been different before his mother had died; before he became a jumble of nerves and tears. I thought of the mayor and his unforgiving demeanor, and little Yvette -- bright as the sun and too clever for her own good. I thought about families and relationships as I watched the sky with my mortal friend, finally able to picture my own family without a feeling of helplessness threatening to drown me.

Just as I found myself yawning in the sight of the emerging stars dotting the darkening heavens, a thought hit me like a brick tossed from a window. "Oh! What are we doing!?"

Ivor eyed me in amusement as I clamored to my feet and ran a little ways behind him. His eyes grew wide when he saw the slightly battered bouquet of wildflowers in my hand. " _Erinn_!" I shouted, waving the flowers in his direction.

The panicked look I was so accustomed to seeing came over Ivor like a wave, and he bolted to my side, picking out bruised petals with a surgical precision. It took him less than a minute, and the bouquet looked as full and beautiful after as it did before. None the less, Ivor declared it trash.

"It's trash!" Ivor declared.

I rolled my eyes. "C'mon, it looks great right now! But It won't look so great if you take forever giving them to her. You want her to know your feelings for her have bloomed, not wilted and started to smell like rotten fruit."

After a little back and forth -- and some friendly threats -- Ivor and I finally continued our way to the inn. It was fully dark by the time we entered the door and I idly wondered if Hugo thought Ivor had forgot about him. Those thoughts quickly melted away in the warmth of the inn.

The inn of Angel Falls was not unlike most of the other houses there. It was small, old, and had an odd charm about it. It shared the same mismatched stone flooring, smooth stone walls, polished wood beams, and open candle light that every other building in Angel Falls had.

The inn did have some distinct differences though. Instead of smelling like baked food, animal fur or wood stove; the inn always had a pleasant, light, almond fragrance. I wasn't sure how Erinn did it, but no matter what manner of person came to see her, tracking in what-have-you, she always had the place smelling lovely and inviting just a moment later.

That wasn't the only dissimilarity though; the place was spotless. It wasn't just the level of cleanliness you'd expect of a proper business, it went well beyond that. Whereas the item shop might have some grime around the door and dirt in the rug, Erinn's inn had no such thing. The church's pews might creak a bit and have a few scratches from use, but the furniture here was always solid and without mark or mar. Utensils were polished to a gleam, the windows were treated daily, and not a drip of wax ran over the candelabras. The photos were free of dust, the flowers exchanged every afternoon, and all bedclothes were washed with every use. The place would feel almost sterile if not for all the little odds and ends Erinn adorned the place with. There was enough clutter to make you feel at ease, but not so much that you found the place unstylish. It was a difficult balance and Erinn had perfected it.

"Hello, Altairis!" Erinn chimed from behind the desk as she saw me. Though she smiled, it was a tight sort of grin that didn't touch her eyes. 

I did my best to return it anyway. "Hey there, Erinn. I thought I'd still find you working. For whatever reason. . ." I said, my eyes scanning the empty sitting room.

Erinn's voice was weary. "I know we haven't had any customers lately, but I have to be ready to welcome them just in case."

Yeah, just in case they decided to vault over a giant landslide and needed somewhere to rest afterwards.

I let a moment pass between us before speaking. I didn't want to press her, but I found myself genuinely worried that she was working herself too hard. "Erinn--"

"You probably think it's pointless, don't you?" she said, cutting me off. "Well, so what? What else am I supposed to do?" Her voice was hard and angry, but I still heard the real question in her words, the quiet pleading. _Please, tell me, what else I am supposed to do?_

I wanted to tell her to go home, go rest, forget about responsibility for a change and actually talk about what she's feeling, but the words felt so funny in my mouth. They were words I couldn't say, because I felt they would make me a hypocrite.

I counted myself lucky when Ivor took this chance to make himself known.

Clearing his throat, Ivor stepped up beside me; his face wracked with anxiety, bouquet still at his back. "Ah, hi Erinn. Um--"

Erinn made a very unladylike snort once she finally took notice of him, then looked incredulously at me. "What are you still doing hanging around with Ivor? Surely you're fed up with him by now?" she laughed. She didn't mean to sound so cruel, she never did, but she sounded that way all the same. It was more than enough to offend Ivor.

His face became a neutral mask. "You won't be bad-mouthing me like that for much longer, you know. You'll see. You'll be thanking me before long." Ivor's voice wasn't raised, and it didn't sound half as angry as I've heard it before. It was simply resigned, and it broke my heart. Without sparing her so much as an extra glace, he turned to me. "I'd better go and report to Dad." Then he shoved the bouquet into my hands and left without another word or a slammed door.

Erinn furrowed her brow as she watched the door swing shut after him. "Well he was acting extra strange. Was he as grumpy as that all day? How did you put up with it?" she asked, her attention now on me.

I bit down the first words that came across my tongue. I wanted to chastise her for being so snappy with him, but I couldn't exactly blame her for her behavior either -- It's not as if Ivor wasn't reaping what he sowed. Still, maybe I could help close the gap between them just the littlest bit.

"You know," I began, lifting the bouquet to my nose and into full view, "Ivor really isn't always so terrible. That boy has got hidden depths." I took a deep inhale and marveled at just how well the different scents blended together. It was a symphony of sweet undertones, woody fragrance and sharp, clean perfume.

Erinn's features softened into the kind face I was used to. "I suppose you might--oh. What is that?" Erinn said, staring intently at the blossoms in my hand. "Is that what you two have been doing all day? Flower arranging?" she asked, a hint of amusement in her voice.

I smiled nervously as I thought about how much to admit to her. Surely mentioning our little voyage to the mountain pass would be a bad idea. "Not exactly. Ivor was teaching me all about the wild blooms native to this area -- I had never seen anything like them before. I learned quite a lot, actually." Not a lie.

Erinn beamed. "May I see them?" I nodded and handed the bouquet over to its intended owner. She spun it slowly in her hands, looking it over with an intense gaze, then took a cursory sniff. Her eyes lit up. She took a much longer sniff the second time before grinning at me."This is just amazing, Altairis! You did an incredible job! Ivor must be a better teacher than I would have thought." she held the flowers back out to me.

I put my hand up, stopping her. "Actually, it's Ivor that made the bouquet. I just took notes. Also, it's for you. He put a lot of effort into it."

Something crossed Erinn's face as she brought the flowers closer to her, but I couldn't decipher what it was. "He did that for me, huh? That's. . ." Her face twisted in an odd way before settling on a smile. "Nice. That's really nice of him."

"I told you, hidden depths."

Erinn's eyes suddenly looked far away as she spoke again, staring down at the blossoms. "I used to be really sick, you know. I don't remember much about that time, but I know that's when I fell in love with flowers." She looked back up at me, brighter. "Every day there would be a flower in my room when I woke up. At the time I thought it was magic, or a Guardian, but now I know it must have been someone in town." Her voice then lowered, growing soft with memories. "Probably my dad. . . I wish I thanked him for it. They were the best parts of my day, and my only good memories for a long time." Erinn dipped her head back into the bouquet of wildflowers and a small smile formed. She looked perfectly peaceful.

It was then that I realized what Ivor had in mind when he chose the flowers that he did. White, sky blue, orange and plum -- I thought they were an odd color palate at first, but seeing Erinn hold them made his intention clear as day. They were just like her. The dark purple of her hair, the blue of her favorite dress, the crisp white of the apron she wore for work and even the orange of her signature bandanna; they were all there, wrapped up in a pretty bow, not too unlike the one Erinn wore around her own neck.

She was his muse, his divine inspiration.

I laughed. I laughed hard and loud, shocking Erinn out of her small reverie.

"Altairis? What is wrong with you?" she giggled along with me.

I shook my head and took a deep breath, trying my best to compose myself. "I-I'm sorry, Erinn, nothing you said was funny. I'm not sure why I'm having such a fit over nothing." I was so relieved and excited over hearing her mention the same story Ivor had told to me. It was odd, but I hadn't realized till just then how much I was suddenly rooting for the two of them to get together. I felt more than a little silly about it.

It was then that I wanted to ask her if she remembered a boy at the Guardian statue, holding her as she smiled and cried, but I couldn't think of a relatively smooth way of bringing it up. So instead I laughed and told Erinn I needed to see to something real quick before I turned in for the day.

As I was leaving, one of the older, gossipy women of the town came striding through the door. For a moment she looked my way with an odd expression in her eyes, but just like that, she turned her attention to Erinn and the look vanished. I shook off the strange vibes as I got outside and jogged over to Ivor's place.

It didn't surprise me one bit that the first thing I heard when I entered the house was Mayor Litlun's booming voice. "Don't be ridiculous! You were foolish to go all the way out there, just the two of you. Utterly foolish!" he shouted just as I entered the main room of the house.

Ivor seemed genuinely surprised by his father's reaction to our little trip. "But-But! Why are you so angry? If we hadn't gone to the landslide, you'd never have known it was about to be cleared."

Litlun made chuffing sound that might have been a laugh if he weren't so angry. "So what? If I didn't know now, I'd have found out soon enough. Knowing a little it sooner is hardly worth risking your life for. _That's_ why I'm angry. _That's_ why you're foolish." the mayor spared a glance in my direction as well, allowing me to feel thoroughly chastised.

If I hadn't known about the relatively recent loss of his wife, I might have thought Litlun was being a tad overprotective -- Ivor was a genius with a blade against these monsters, after all. But knowing what I did, I saw the mayor's anger for what it was: true fatherly concern. It was a touching thing to behold, I had never known anything like it before.

Ivor looked to me for some sort of back up or support, but I just shrugged. His dad was right and, well, I just didn't know how to speak against the word of authority. I guess being subordinate your entire life will do that.

Ivor threw his hands up in defeat. ". . .Gah! Fine!" Just as he was about to turn away from his father, he stopped. "Oh yeah, there was something else. Something I heard from one of the soldiers. They want us to find some girl called Patty who went missing on her way here."

 _Patty_! I had completely forgotten.

"Wait a minute! Is that true?" A familiar voice called.

Ivor's face fell as he turned towards the doorway. "Erinn! What are you doing here?"

Erinn marched pass me and fixed Ivor with a death glare. "What do you think? I'm here because I heard you whisked Altairis off on some silly adventure!" she steamed.

Ah, so that's what that woman went to see Erinn about. Something inside of me suddenly felt hot, like someone just dumped burning coals into my belly. I was getting real sick of being talked about but not talked _to_.

"That's quite enough now, Erinn!" I shouted, tearing her attention away from Ivor. "I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not bedridden anymore. No human on earth has the power to force me to do anything against my will; I make my own decisions and take responsibility for them." I declared.

Erinn's body language relaxed a bit and she looked down, slightly ashamed. "Y-Yes, I understand. I didn't mean to--"

"It's alright." I said, my voice softer now. "I'm not upset that you're concerned, it's sweet of you, I just don't think Ivor deserves the blame."

Erinn nodded and mumbled a soft apology to Ivor, who took it with such gratitude you'd think she was offering him a bucket of gold. Mayor Litlun then took back control of the room, politely ignoring the arguing of three children. "You're from Stornway originally, aren't you, Erinn? Do you know this Patty woman?"

Erinn nodded. "I seem to remember my dad talking about someone called Patty from his days in Stornway." Suddenly her face became stricken."Oh dear! Maybe she didn't know he'd passed away and she was coming here to see him."

The mayor stroked his short beard as he considered the situation. "Hmm. . . Well, I can understand everyone's concerns, but we can't very well send off a search party with no lead to go on." he said finally.

Ivor piped up once more, glad for his chance to speak again. "Actually, the soldier said something about how she might've been on her way here through the Hexagon."

I was silently grateful that Ivor seemed to remember so much more about his conversation with the soldiers from Stornway than I did. I had become quite distracted by all the outpouring of emotion that I was forgetting simple details. I never forgot details. Were humans always going to be this diverting?

The mayor looked surprised but then shook his head. "Is that so? Well, even if that's the case, we still can't be of any help. The Hexagon is far too dangerous nowadays." He then turned back to Erinn and I, his voice growing noticeably softer. "Erinn, why don't you take Altairis home now? Try not to worry too much."

I stepped forward. "Excuse me sir mayor, I was hoping to speak with Ivor about something before I left. It's the reason I came by tonight." I interjected as politely as I could.

To my shock, Litlun regarded me with kind eyes instead of the steely gaze I had expected. "Could it wait till tomorrow? I'd appreciate a bit of privacy so I can talk some sense into this pig-headed son of mine." he replied, apparently saving all of his glares for Ivor tonight.

"Th-There's no need for that, Dad!" Ivor grimaced as Erinn and I quickly made our way out the door.

\---

"I was so worried when I heard you'd been to the mountain pass, Altairis." Erinn admitted as we sat together in her room. "But you're obviously a lot tougher than I thought."

I chuckled, thinking about just how beat up I felt after today, but I wasn't going to argue. "Well I am a traveling minstrel, after all. We're built like gigasteel."

Erinn smiled, nervously fiddling with one of the bright orange poppies in the vase across from me. "Speaking of which, um. . . I wonder if I could ask you a favor, Altairis."

"Oh?"

Erinn didn't look up from the table. "You see, I'm quite worried about all this talk of Patty going missing. So I was wondering if you could-- Oh, never mind!" She said suddenly, shaking her head. "The Hexagon is really far too dangerous. I couldn't possibly ask that much of you." she said as she looked up at me apologetically, but her eyes still gleamed with the question.

I felt myself begin to sweat as I thought about the Hexagon. "Ah, that pass underneath the mountains? Underground? Without any sunlight, or fresh air, and tons of earth weighing down upon it? _Um_. . ." I trailed off, thinking about all of the terrible ways I could die alone in the dark. Celestrians were not made to be underground.

"I'm obviously worried about Patty, but it's far too dangerous to go off to the Hexagon looking for her. All we can do is pray to the Almighty to keep her safe." Erinn said, plainly seeing my reaction. Before I could make any excuse for myself, Erinn folded her hands in front of her and begun to pray. "Guardian Altairis, please watch over Patty and see that she comes to no harm." Erinn then smiled at me, telling me to get my rest, and I gladly obliged.

I was going to need one heck of a good night's sleep before tackling the Hexagon, because now I didn't have any other choice but to go.

\---

I decided to slip out while it was still night. I had hoped to sleep a bit longer, but my dreams were feeling inhospitable, and I needed to leave before Erinn or her grandfather woke. I dressed quickly and grabbed some bread and hard cheese from the cupboards downstairs before making my way outside, packing most of it down my throat before I even crossed the first bridge. Cheese is heavenly.

I hadn't expected much of anyone to be up this late, but to my surprise, the lamp above the town gate burned brightly as Hugo stood at his post, watching the peaceful scene around him.

"Hey Hugo. " I said as I came within speaking distance. "Uh, about Ivor earlier, I'm sure he didn't forgot to come back to talk to you, it's just he was detained by his father and all--"

Hugo held up his hand to stop me and gave me an easy smile. "It's alright, Altairis, I know how he is. How they both are." he laughed and I joined him. Pausing a moment, Hugo continued. "Look, I know it's not really my place to say so, but thanks for looking out for Ivor."

I felt myself flush. "Uh, yeah. I mean, no problem. He's really not all that bad." Why did I feel so weird about a compliment?

Hugo nodded sagely, graciously overlooking my embarrassment, or completely oblivious to it. "He has his faults, that's for sure -- and he drives most of us insane half the time -- but I wouldn't wish him any ill." Hugo smiled at me again, and I realized then just how different he seemed when he wasn't chasing after Ivor's coattails. "You be careful, where ever it is you're sneaking off to." he teased.

At a loss for anything else to say, I promised him I would, then left for the Hexagon. _'_ _And_ _for_ _certain death'_  I grimly assured myself.


	9. Let's Get Crackin'

Nighttime belongs to monsters. In some parts of the world, that means you take extra precaution while traveling. In other parts, it means you locked yourself indoors as soon as the sun faded. In Angel Falls, it simply meant Dracky.

I was glad to see the sky clear of clouds, allowing the moon to shine down unfiltered. I wasn't afraid -- I knew the land and monsters too well for that -- but I wanted to have all of my strength for the mission ahead, and that meant avoiding battles whenever I could. I didn't know what to expect when I got to the Hexagon, but nothing about an ancient, abandoned, underground passageway seemed very pleasant to me. So I was happy to see the dirt road before me clearly. If any monster thought to ambush me on my way, they would have a rough time of it under the gaze of so many stars. The Dracky knew it too. I kept to the path and was out of harm's way.

Before long, I was passing the lake and found myself halfway to the mountain trail. I halted before taking the dirt road any further east. Instead, I turned south and made my way off the path and into the grass -- its tall blades shimmering like a sea of silver-green in the moonlight.

Though there was no road this way, it had obviously been maintained as a side path even after the current road through the mountains was created. As Ivor had pointed out earlier, there was a healthy little spot for finding medicinal herbs back this way. There's not a person alive that would abandon a grotto of goodies that useful, least of all a little boxed in town like Angel Falls.

The path itself lay between a small cliff to the east and a dense forest to the west. It was wide enough to allow two flows of foot traffic through, but hadn't nearly enough room to properly avoid a fight. The monsters took advantage of this, and a flock of Dracky caught me between their forest home and the cliff face.

Dracky are weak. They don't have any particular power at their disposal, and are all together inferior to their magic-savvy relatives. So they fight in clusters; attacking wayward travelers at night in a group, wearing down their prey in sheer numbers, using the cover of night to inflict terror upon anyone unlucky or foolish enough to happen their way. They would share the kill, or die together.

I didn't like the idea of fighting things so weak, but enough fangs in your face will kill you eventually, no matter how tough you are. So I did what I had to do. Dracky are aerial beings, and I know -- perhaps better than anyone else -- just what it takes to hurt a creature that flies.

You take their wings.

Though it was hard to focus in the face of a whirlwind of screeching dark and teeth, a few well-timed slashes were all it took to leave my enemies grounded. Twitching and wailing, with no hope of avoiding my blades edge through their bellies, I quickly finished my work. I felt a little sick at what I'd done, and was thankful to have them disappear back into energy shortly after their demise, taking the scent of their blood with them.

I made my way further south, eventually catching sight of the remains of the original road heading to the Hexagon, winding east into the forest; now a mere scar left from mankind past. I stood at the mouth of the woods and felt a strong, sudden breeze at my back, pulling me forward. The leaves above my head swayed with a wraithlike grace, dancing to the winds haunting music. Despite the chill, I felt myself begin to sweat.

And then I thought about how _great_ it would be if I headed the _opposite_ way first and picked up some medicinal herbs. After all, it's not like I was able to do any shopping before I snuck out of town, and I'd rather not have to rely on my shaky magic for all of my healing. So I jogged west against the wind and down a wider path. I wasn't able to avoid many fights without having to go into the woods proper, but that held risk all its own; a risk that included possibly upsetting whole nests of monsters. So I charged through instead. Slimes, Cruelcumber, Batterflies -- nothing I faced posed any significant threat.

When I fought for the first time, with Master Aquila by my side, I was unsure of my worth in battle. Now, even though I was grounded and alone, I felt much more confident. My training and newfound experience kept me successfully on my toes, and each monster I faced fell before my sword. As much as I envied my fluttering opponents, fighting without fleeing to the air was not as debilitating as I had originally thought. It was awkward at first, but ground-battling demanded a certain elegance in and of itself, and I relished in the challenge; emboldened with every kill.

My aching muscles appreciated the work out, and by the time I found myself picking the medicinal herbs, my body was feeling much better than it had the day before. First I only picked half of the herbs I discovered nestled at the foot of the small hill. Then, when faced with moving on, I decided it should be okay to climb the hill and pick the rest -- surely the item shop was well stocked enough at the moment to allow me a little extra. Just in case.

After a few more unnecessary battles, I decided to stop stalling and just get this over with. Yes, I was afraid of going underground, but I already decided that returning without at least trying to locate this 'Patty' woman was not an option. It seemed I feared disappointing Erinn more than I feared the dark and deep.

\---

The opposition I found down the forested path to the Hexagon was not nearly as horrid as my imagination convinced me it would be, and I found myself able to outrun any Dracky flittering about now that the sun's rays began to bleed into the sky; sending the creatures back to their nests to sleep. During my sprint however, I nearly ran face-first into a lone Teeny Sanguini, just bobbing ahead of me in the middle of the roads remains.

I readied my blade against it, certain the best time to strike would be right as it made a move of its own. But it didn't move. Well, it _moved_ but it didn't attack. It just sort of. . . fluffed about.

I frowned and lowered my sword, not quite sure what to think. "O-kay then. Uh, hello."

It continued to float up and down, it's tiny purple wings somehow keeping its chubby body afloat in the air; just _staring_ at me.

"Well I'm headed this way then." I said, brushing past it, further down the widening path.

It followed me.

Not quickly enough to be considered predatory, but it was unsettling all the same.

"Look," I said, turning towards it, "I don't know what you want from me. I already ate all the food I had, and I'm not lending out my neck as a tap, so shoo." I demanded, motioning the tiny creature away.

The small cow-print demon just continued to fluff about, staring at me with deceptively adorable black eyes, a ceaseless smile set on its face, wagging its cute little devil tail. . . I sighed. "D'ya wanna come explore some deadly ruins with me?" I asked, unsure why I was even bothering with such a creature.

I didn't think it'd reply, but just a few seconds later the itsy bitsy Teeny Sanguini squeaked a squeak that thoroughly melted my heart, then fluttered over to me and set itself on top of my head. It was surprisingly light for such a plushy creature, and I found myself talking idly to it as I made my way out of the woods.

"So, a monster with a sense of adventure, huh? Shouldn't surprise me I guess; anything that's lived around here too long is bound to want to get out and see the world sometime." I mused, scratching the little demon behind one of its large, furry, bat-like ears. "Hm, but I can't very well keep calling you 'Teeny Sanguini' can I?"

The Sanguini squeaked affirmatively.

"Let me see. . . every being should have a name true to its nature, shouldn't it? I think Master Aquilla said something like that once. Let's think about what I know of the Sanguini." I thought back to my days of endless studying under Apus Major, and recalled the word for the Sanguni in the Old Language. "You are the 'Sanguinem-Comedenti', blood eater." I said, tasting the Old Language on my tongue for the first time in awhile. "Very ferocious." I joked, knowing that the Sanguini were easily domesticated and made for common pets among the wealthy. "No, no. I have a name for you. 'Lanugo'." _Fluff_. "Do you like it? I find it very true to your nature." I teased, petting the strange little creature perched atop my head once more as it squeaked excitedly.

\---

Light fog skirted the ground, pooling in the dips and crevices of the landscape as it painted the grass with a shimmering coat of dew. The first streaks of burning orange daylight rose up from the treetops and cast an early morning glow on the structure in front of me.

The part of the Hexagon that was visible from the outside was largely carpeted by bright green moss and stray tendrils of ivy. What I could see of the building beneath looked to be made from simple dove-grey stone bricks. The same bricks formed large doorway like arches leading the way to the entrance. Or at least they did at some point -- the first arch was in pieces approximately where it would have stood proud many years ago, whereas the others were in deep disrepair but still standing.

The ground ahead of me was littered with large russet colored tiles. They had apparently created a wide walkway that lead to the road behind me, but many were cracked or missing altogether. The tiles that remained were still in one piece, but had slowly been overtaken by the lush grass, leaving very little of the path behind.

As I looked around me, I noticed tall stone pillars scattered here and there. Most were crumbling -- only two that I saw looked to be in decent condition -- and after a minute of confusion did I realize that if they were all present, they would have formed a hexagon around the walkway. Clever.

Trees and pillars weren't the only things dotting the landscape, however. As I walked towards the entrance, I noticed through the low-hanging cover of fog something quite unsettling. Pools of thick, noxious, purple liquid lay scattered throughout the open courtyard.

"This can't be a good sign." I said to myself as I peered into one of the poisonous ponds from a relatively safe distance. Those weren't there when I had spied the place before, during my training. "A curse, then. Great." I groused. As if this weren't going to be awful enough.

Lanugo hung in the air precariously above the slowly bubbling toxic pool, looking entirely unimpressed. I decided to quietly file 'what happens when you fall into a lake of poison' under 'things I do not want to find out for myself' as I snatched him away and took care to keep my distance.

Just above the doorway, jutting out from the Hexagon itself, was one last stone archway. This one was much larger than the others and was in surprisingly good condition. The sides were chipped and crumbling in places but the structure held firm. Unlike the others, which were all carved from the same material as the main building, this arch had a darker brown stone set into its two sides; both covered in archaic looking carvings.

I could tell it was some sort of writing but after pausing to study the markings, I quickly gave up. The letters weren't from the Celestrian Old Language or the Modern Protectorate Language. Here and there I saw letters similar to the written word mortals now used, but they were only similar, not exact. Though I was intrigued by what it said, I knew only one of the more senior Celestrians or a human scholar would be able to identify its meaning.

Turning back to the task at hand, I pulled open one of the great, grey stone doors leading into the Hexagon with a grunt of effort. As soon as the entrance opened, I could hear the distinct sound of running water reverberating through the otherwise hollow silence. Sure enough, as I stepped into the wide corridor, I spotted small pools of crystalline blue liquid hugging the sides of the stone walkway in front of me.

Though there were lily pads and some sort of tall, gently glowing plant life making itself at home in the miniature lakes, my newfound friend and I weren't deterred from taking a sip. Though 'sip' was an understatement in Lanugo's case, as he dove headfirst into the rightmost pond, splashing around gleefully before taking in gulp after gulp of mountain water. I could appreciate his enthusiasm; though it wasn't as tasty as the 'Angel Tears' of Angel Falls, the water here was quite refreshing.

After I had my share, I wiped my mouth on my sleeve and decided to take a closer look around. I quickly determined that there really wasn't a whole lot to see. The insides of the Hexagon were just like the outside; white-grey stone covering the floors and walls, vivid patches of moss here and there, brown pillars covered in those mysterious sigils, and even one of the familiar stone archways from outside. This one was fully intact, however, and I found it to be quite reminiscent of the architecture in the Observatory. I felt something tug at my insides when I looked at it, but I quickly pushed the feelings down and continued my way forward.

It was soon after passing under that familiar archway that I noticed an intricate pattern carved into the floor. It was badly worn after being walked over for so many years, but it had that same writing etched into it as the pillars did. The stone roof above me had crumbled right above this carving, allowing the faint sunlight to gently illuminate it like some sign from the Almighty. I let myself gaze at it for a few fleeting seconds, wishing I could understand it, but it was no use.

As I approached the back of the room, I noticed something odd about this half of the corridor. Instead of simple brick, the walls were flat stone covered in indistinct carvings. The entire place was too aged for someone as myself to be able to properly decipher, but I felt a sort of weight in the air here. There was a message laid out in front of me, but I just couldn't grasp it.

At the very back wall there were two stone tablets set flush into the wall with that same language carved into it. I glared in its direction and made a specific note to not pay it any mind. This mystery would steal no more of my time. I was pleased, however, to find a much more modern stone monument set between the two tablets with clear and precise modern language words carved into it. I was less pleased by what it actually said.

_'Path ahead sealed due to enormous-beast-related fatalities'_

I blinked.

"Nope!" I shouted, throwing my hands up in utter defeat as I spun on my heel to leave. "The place is sealed, I did all I could and now I'm getting out of here. I am _not_ a coward." I mumbled to myself as I stalked back to the entrance as quickly as I could without actually running away in fear.

I didn't notice him at first, due to my rather intense desire to retreat, but as I got closer I knew without a doubt that I was marching right towards a ghost. He was hard to make out under the soft beam of light he stood under, but he was definitely there; I'd remember that oddly mesmerizing incorporeal effect the undead have, anywhere.

I was thrilled. Being able to see and communicate with ghosts was one of the most basic of Celestrian skills -- a skill even some mortals seemed capable of in extraordinary circumstances -- but all the same, it felt great to have some reassurance that I was still partially Celestrian where it counted.

As soon as I got near him, he glided away from me quicker than my brain could comprehend. He wasn't even moving, he was just. . . being somewhere else. Still, I continued down the path I saw him take, and soon found myself jogging down a hallway that lead from the right side of the corridor. The hall ended in a small hexagonal chamber with a singular statue in the middle.

The sculpture was covered almost head to toe in moss, shielding it's true form from me. It looked perhaps like it could have been a man holding a sword, possibly in some kind of armor, but it was nearly impossible to tell. Either way, the figure was the least of the interesting sights before me. The ghost man floated in the back of the room, his eyes distant, his arm outstretched towards the statue in front of him.

"Excuse me, sir?" I began, thinking to myself how oddly familiar he looked.

The man didn't look my way or seem to hear me at all. "On the. . . back of. . . this statue. . ." he replied. When he spoke, he sounded tired, as if the few words had completely drained him.

Before I got the chance to question him, he simply disappeared. Not with a great blue glow or flash of light like the ghost man I had met before; just -- poof -- and gone. I scowled. Maybe I did have all of my Celestrian powers, but they were just weaker than I thought. Perhaps weakening even still.

All the same, I followed the specters advice and groped around the back of the statue until I found a small, inconspicuous button on the neck of the figure in front of me. As soon as I pressed it, I wish I hadn't.

A great rumble filled the building and I felt my legs go soft in shock and fear. Small bits of debris and unimaginable amounts of dust poured from the shaking ceiling as I heard someone begin to scream. It wasn't until I tried to speak did I realize it had been me.

"This is how I die." I said with a sore throat, as I crouched and held my arms over my head in hopes of not getting concussed by the falling rocks.

The shaking abated fairly soon, but still I sat frozen in that position just shuddering, my heart racing. It wasn't until Lanugo found me and plopped his soaking little body on top of my head did I feel like I could breathe again. I not so silently griped about wet Sanguini smell and the feel of water running down my neck as I returned to the main corridor. I groaned when I saw the stone monument that had been blocking the pass had been shifted, allowing me access to the 'enormous-beast' infested dungeon. "Gah! That is so not what I wanted to happen!" I shouted, covering my face with my hands in misery. If that ghost wasn't already dead, I might have killed him.

After a few moments of self-indulgent angst, I set my hands on Lanugo, directing my voice towards him. "Hey buddy, I'm going to go deeper in now, so how about you stay outside, huh? I don't know how long it will be before I come back." _If I come back at all_.

Instead of doing the monsterly thing and returning to safety, Lanugo dug his damp little hands into my ponytail defiantly, and held his place. I sighed, knowing a lost cause when I saw one, but was grateful to have someone come along with me all the same. I briefly wondered if I should have drug Ivor out of his warm bed to help me on my errand, but reminded myself that his safety was as important as anyone else's in Angel Falls. Still, it was unfair I had agreed to his terrible plan, but couldn't pressure him into doing the same for me.

The small doorway ahead opened up into a simple square room with a matching set of pillars, precariously holding up the tons of rock and earth above us, and another winding hallway mirroring the one I had been led to earlier. Another carving depicting a sweeping landscape set flush against the back wall, and two stone staircases leading downward set in front of me.

Unsure of which way to go, I pointed to each path as I recounted what I remembered of an old tale, "Teeny, Pink, Genie, happy family of Sanguni. What saves Genie from Manguini? Not the blood, not the meat, just the ashes of. The. Saint." I finished just as my finger landed on the right most set of stairs. I took a deep breath as I peeked into the depth below, every instinct of mine screaming at me to turn back. Quieting my inner thoughts as best I could, I made my descent.

As soon as I made it to the bottom of the staircase, I was attacked.

A Mecha-Mynah made a high-pitched whistle as it cut through the air and flew down at me from the darkness, it's metal wings forming blades at its side. I was all instinct. I unsheathed my sword and swung in one smooth motion, my blade meeting the bird midair, smashing it into the floor. Nothing was left but a pile of broken gears and metal feathers.

"Heh." Just as I began feeling smug and turned towards the doorway to continue my trek, another whistling sound occurred and a flash of pain ripped across my upper left arm, issuing a hiss of surprise from my throat. A Bodkin Archer stood in the doorway to the next room, readying its aim once more. I felt the blood from my cut dribble down my arm, and smiled. They always did seem to have such poor aim.

Sword in hand, I ran towards my miniature attacker, making a dance of dodging its attacks. Just as I came within felling distance and raised my sword over my head to land a fatal bow, a monster jumped out from behind the Bodkin and towards my face -- it's eyes crazed and teeth sharp.

I felt my heart seize momentarily in panic, but before I could react, Lanugo dove off of my head and plummeted right into the new assailant, sending both of them flying into the room beyond us in a heap of tiny teeth and angry cries.

Without missing a step, I brought my sword down hard across the Bodkin Archer's body. After its life energy had dissipated, all that was left behind was its little leather hat. Scooping up the loot, I quickly make my way over to Lanugo. He had the enemy chasing after him, keeping himself just out of harm's way with a flick of his tiny wings. It was then that I finally I got a good look at our newest enemy, and what an oddity it was.

It was some sort of demonic money pouch. It was made of light blue cloth, tied closed at the top with blue and brass cord. Its eyes were filled with hysteria, and its mouth housed rows of sharp teeth. I found the giant lolling tongue hanging from it was the most disturbing part of all, however, as it made the demon look like it was constantly laughing. Something so insane shouldn't have seemed so full of mirth.

I didn't know how this demented thing came to be, but I hated the thought of it being so close to my flock. My mind wandered to the tell-tale pools of poison outside of the Hexagon, sure signs of a curse laid upon the place. Perhaps these monstrosities had something to do with it. Truly, I did not look forward to what else was lurking within these walls.

Although Lanugo looked to be having fun with it, I cut the monster down with a quick slice, feeling thoroughly disturbed. Taking a moment to chew a medicinal herb, and assisting my Sanguni friend back to his perch atop my head, I took a look at the room around me.

It was easily as big as one of the chambers on the first floor, and looked to be made of the same materials. It was hard to tell at first glance, since the only light was that of the odd glowing fungi from before, but there was a path of lighter brown stone winding around the lower half of the room, leading to a raised hexagonal platform. There were many pillars in the room; I couldn't see the ceiling through the darkness, but I liked to imagine they were all doing their jobs and keeping the weight of the earth from crushing us. If the rest of the building was any indication, of course, they were all probably crumbing right before me. One thing I could make out however, were more of our esteemed company from before.

The room was full of them. Tongues hanging from their mouths, they bounced in mock glee all around us, too caught up in their own heads to take notice of our presence. The battle before had not upset them, and I took great caution to stay along the lighted path to keep just that from happening. I had no foreknowledge to guide me, no understanding of their tactics, so I erred on the side on safety. Sure, Lanugo could distract one, and I could probably take a few without much harm, but twenty or thirty at once? In the dark? In an unfamiliar, confined space? I'd rather not think of how we'd end up.

Holding Lanugo tight to keep him from doing anything silly -- and not at all to comfort myself -- I made my way around the room and up the stairs to the raised platform as stealthily as I could; forcing myself to breathe steady and even each time one of the sickening creatures bounded across our path. On the next platform was yet another smaller platform that held a staircase that wound even further downward.

It was brighter below. In front of me was a pool of water and, as before, it was home to many gently glowing fungi and fern -- their radiance reflecting off the water to softy illuminate the way in front of me. I spotted two paths, one to the upper left, and one to the upper right. A long hallway bordered with water lie straight ahead.

I went forward, spying a set of jade colored stone doors at the end of the hall. It looked like the way to go, as if there would be something important beyond the doorway. I prayed for a staircase leading up as I shouldered the doors open with a pained growl.

It lead to an empty room.

Or at least I assumed it was empty. It was too dark to see beyond the soft mantle of light the plants in the hall provided, and I wasn't interested in going in any further. Before turning back, I noticed a dull gleam on the floor. Near the door, a small pouch of coins laid abandoned; the cloth of the bag was in tatters, mold creeping up its seams. As I emptied the coins into my own purse, I did my best not to think of the demonic pouches of money I'd just encountered upstairs.

My bag of gold a bit heavier than before, I turned to leave and find the true exit. It was then that I found myself face to face with a specter of fire. It was an angry orange flame floating in the air; it flickered like a candle, but gave off no heat. It hurt my eyes to stare at, but it gave off no light. It had a face; a mournful, pained expression drawn in the blaze. It cried, and it was the most miserable thing I had ever heard, the very sound of it oppressing my strained senses.

Heart racing, I skittered backward, almost tripping over my own feet, and clumsily swung my sword at it. My blade flew threw it like empty air, I hadn't harmed it at all. I cursed myself for losing my focus and striking out of fear, but I didn't have the time to beat myself over it further. The spirit crept towards me, gliding without really moving, screaming without shifting its mouth. It was pure terror and pain. And it wanted me.

So I ran.

I returned to the first room of the floor and took a right, wanting to avoid the monsters I spotted along the left path. I sighed in relief as I ran across a set of stairs, this time leading upward. I knew I was close, and I wasn't about to slow down. My nerves were shot, and I couldn’t stand to be in the darkness a second longer.

I nearly slammed into a wall as I bounded up the stairs. Another carving was staring at me, this time of a large castle. I'm sure it had meaning, but I didn't care, there were places I needed to be. I had to keep moving, or I'd lose whatever courage I was able to muster. Unfortunately, the passageway to the left had crumbed, so I continued to the right. The path was littered with spirits.

Heart thundering in my chest, I dove left and right, doing my best to keep myself and Lanugo from the wailing flames, but things refused to stay so simple. Along the hallway were some other type of phantasm, decked in blue robes and armed with scythes. Avoiding them was another matter entirely.

As soon as I dodged one attack, they would phase in front of me, ready to strike. So I'd parry, sending myself gliding further down the passage, and in the sights of more enemies. Run, dodge, parry, twirl; I was happy to keep up the momentum until I reached the end of the corridor, but Lanugo had other ideas.

Not catching on to my tactic, Lanugo launched himself from my head and tackled one of the oncoming spirits, paying no heed to its scythes edge. Distracted, I missed my parry and felt a very real blade hack into my shoulder. I screamed when I felt the steel hit bone. As blood erupted from my wound, I lost my grip on my sword and it fell to the floor with a loud clatter; my right arm hanging uselessly at my side.

I didn't want to go on. The pain turned my vision black and I fell to my knees. I was dizzy and tired, I couldn't do this anymore. I felt something rip across my back, sending a flood of warm blood cascading down my skin, soaking my clothes. No, Erinn's clothes. _Tsk, she'll never let me borrow her things again. No, of course she will, that's just who she is._ My thoughts felt heavy in my head, keeping me rooted to the ground. It wasn't until I heard a shrill, pained cry cut short that I was able to convince myself to move again.

"Lanugo. . ." I breathed as I forced myself to my feet, grasping for my sword with my only functioning hand. Through my blurred vision, I saw the Sanguini lay bleeding in the small channel of water surrounding the walkway, a large gash across his little belly, his innards staining his fluffy coat red.

I howled in rage. Gripping my blade tight, I charged the offending spirit, aiming for its head. Slipping in my own blood as I ran toward it, I rammed my bade instead through its cloth and surprisingly corporeal stomach. It wasn't enough. I dodged its counter attack, teetering drunkenly on my feet before taking another wide swing at him, cutting him in the neck and nicking an oncoming monster in the process. Unforgivable as my performance was, it still got the job done.

The floor beneath me was carpeted in red. _My blood!_ I thought at first until I realized, no, it was actual carpet and it lead to an ornate door. Hope rose in my chest, and I made my way to Lanugo's body. Sheathing my sword and scooping the dying monster up with my good arm as carefully as I could, I made a beeline for the door, feeing the tips of scythes nick and cut me all the while. Clenching my jaw, I rammed my bleeding arm into the door with all the strength I had. After a split second of resistance, it crumbled beneath me and sent the two of us soaring through the air and down a small set of stairs leading to the next room. I cradled Lanugo's shallowly breathing form close to mine, and took the impact of the hard floor on my own.

Sunlight flooded in from a hole in the ceiling and blinded me. I had made it. The spirits in the room before faltered at the sign of light, and didn't follow us in to finish what they'd started. I gave my thanks to the Almighty for delivering me to safety, and slipped one more prayer His way before clutching Lanugo to me tight.

Conjuring up the Heal spell was a difficulty on a good day, but I prayed and I tried and tried again, until I finally got the shimmering healing energies to travel from my inner resource of Mana to my finger tips and into my fuzzy friend. I feared it wouldn't be enough, and just before I decided to give it another go and use what I had left of my magic, I felt him stir.

"Lanugo!" I croaked as I crooked my neck to the side to look him over. His belly was once again in one piece, and his eyes shone with tiny monster tears. I smiled at him. "Don't look at me like that. . . I'll be fine. Ju-Just get me the medicinal. . . medicinal herbs from my bag."

He scurried to my travel sack and after a few seconds, he squeaked happily and drug the small container of medicine up to me. "Th-Thanks." I wheezed as I grabbed as many as I possibly could before shoving them all in my mouth at once. I choked on the bitter taste as I chewed, and Lanugo chirped sadly at my side, worry in his eyes. I powered through, and the results were nearly instantaneous.

The pain that had almost knocked me unconscious abated, leaving behind only a throbbing ache in my shoulder. The many minor cuts and scrapes along my body all vanished, and the long slash across my back dried and healed, though a slim silver scar would probably remain if I weren't properly healed soon.  

Taking Lanugo up in my arms, I kissed him on the forehead. "See? All better now." I said in a voice usually reserved for my little brother. Lanugo smiled and flapped his tiny wings in excitement. I smiled back, a wave of relief coming over me. "I'm glad you decided to come along with me, you really had my back in there, thanks." I said, rubbing his tummy. "But maybe the next time I go adventuring I'll let you stay home, eh?" I suggested. He didn't argue.

Just then, a husky female voice echoed through the stone chamber. "H-Hello!? Is somebody there?"

Lanugo and I jumped up, surprised. Could it be. . . ? "Yes!" I shouted, making my way towards the voice. "Someone is here!"

I made my way up a set of stairs and saw her, a mature looking woman trapped beneath a large pile of rubble. Her face was sickly pale and covered in grime, the long strands of her silver-blue hair stuck to her body from sweat; she had been here awhile.

"Oh, my -- I never expected to bump into anyone all the way down here!" she exclaimed, her voice almost hysterically happy. "Hey, sweetie, you couldn't be a hero and shift some of this rubble for me, could ya? I-I'm not badly hurt or anything, but I'm kinda stuck here, ya know? Been here stuck. .  . " she trailed off, looking miserable.

"Right!" I said, kneeling by her side, carefully removing the rocks trapping her. Lanugo did his part, airlifting pebbles away. "Here," I said, handing her one of my last two medicinal herbs, "this will help with the discomfort."

She gladly accepted and immediately began chewing. "Thanks, sweetie, you're a doll," she said, her mouth full. "a regular life-saver!  I don't know what I'd do if I were still here when that beast came back."

I stopped what I was doing, panic gripping me. "What did you just say?" I demanded. I was forgetting something. . .

The earth began to shake; dust and bits of rock rained down from the ceiling, clouding my vision. I heard the woman gasp, then another strong shake rocked the building around us, sending actual chunks of the ceiling falling to the floor below. "Oh, brother! It's back!" the woman shrieked. Just before I could ask what she meant, it appeared out from the cloud of dust.

 _Monster related fatalities_ , right.

I stared at the beast in front of me, my mouth dry and palms sweaty. It was large and nothing but pink, squat muscle. Dark plates of nail or metal coated its knees and the back of its body, giving way to a fin of spikes down its spine, and a large set of horns off its shoulders. Its feet, head and underbelly were carpeted with a thick green coat of hair that mimicked the color of the cheerful moss I saw outside. It had no claws or fangs, just thick, dull nails and disturbingly human teeth. It's tail was short but armored, and it had the stubby snout of a dog. But its eyes, its eyes were the worst part -- deep violet, pupil-less, and glowing with rage.

"I got trapped trying to run away from this guy and not looking where I was going. Watch your head, sweetie!" the older woman offered, her voice less rough than before.

I sighed, resigned to the fact I would have to battle. There was no way to get her out in time to run. "Lanugo," I said, my voice a little shaky, "stay with the nice lady and keep her calm. This isn't your fight." I explained before downing my last herb. 

He chirped affirmatively and I withdrew my sword. It was all that I could do with my right arm however; even if the herbs had healed the wound, I was still sore and my blade was just too heavy, so I switched to my left arm instead. Guardians were trained to wield with either hand, and I had plenty of guidance in the art from Master Aquila, but I never felt quite comfortable with my left. I was loathe to make this my first actual fight wielding my weapon in such a way.

I had little choice. The beast didn't care. It made its way towards me and reared up, crashing its feet into the floor in challenge, throwing dust and debris all around us. I answered its call with a scream and jumped into the fray.

I could see it was preparing to attack; I was faster. I leapt and stabbed it in the right shoulder, peddling backwards as quick as I could. It jumped in my direction, nearly flattening the trapped woman and my friend, and sent large chunks of the ceiling crashing down towards me.

I dodged most of them as I ran to the other side of the room, hoping to keep the monster away from the bystanders, but a portion of heavy rock chipped me in my hurt shoulder, antagonizing my wound. Before the beast could turn all the way around to face me, I attacked again, piercing its thick hide. I wasn't able to move out of the way fast enough this time however, as it flung me into the wall with its left horn, the momentum cracking one of my ribs and ripping the air from my lungs.

I couldn't slow down, my only advantage was being quicker, if I lost that, I'd lose it all. So I attacked once more, cutting the beast open at the side. As I did, a wave of hot, putrid blood poured forth, causing it to rear back in agony. As its head smashed into the crumbling ceiling, more rubble fell, and this time a large piece hit my head and sent my word spinning. I lashed out again, knowing my enemy was faltering, but I couldn't quite make a deep enough cut between its armor and muscles, and my frail left hand.

The battle went on similarly for awhile; I'd attack, weaker and weaker, slipping in our mingling blood, and it'd respond in kind, knocking me about with its horns, both of us too wounded to dodge the others attack. It sent me flying into the wall once more, but this time, I couldn't get back up.

My lungs felt like they were lined with lead, and on every exhale I found myself coughing up blood. I tried to laugh -- it was funny to me, being in so much pain again. I thought after having my wings torn off, no pain could be greater, but here I was, dying again for the third time within a month. I had wanted to avoid suffering so badly, it looked like I wasn't going to get my way though. . . but I was determined the beast wouldn't either.

I dug deep for the last bit of magic I had left within myself, and readied a healing spell. I had to get up and fight again, I had to rescue this woman. I had to see Erinn smile again, and try my best to fix her relationship with Ivor. I needed to save Lanugo. I needed to go home, see my brother. _I had to_. There was so much I would be leaving behind, too much was unfinished.

So I ripped every last piece of magic within me outward, and as I fixated on my healing spell, an odd thing happened. I felt a chilling calm harden inside of me as something cold passed through my lips. Through my darkening vision I saw it -- a crystal of ice as large as the beasts head formed in the air at my icy call, and slammed through the beasts thick neck like a blade of frozen glass. Blood erupted from its neck as the magic ice meted into nothing, and the monster fell to its side with a great thud. Dead.

I sighed in relief, proud to earn a new spell, and promptly met the darkness.

\---

"Hey! You awake? Heh. You're tougher than you look. Thanks for saving my hide there." said the woman from earlier as she knelt next to me, her long glistening strands of hair falling across her shoulders and onto my face.

I was confused. Wasn't I supposed to be dead? "Hrn? Wh. . . when did you. . ?"

The woman smiled. "I managed to shake myself free in all the chaos. Your cute little friend helped out too" she replied as Lanugo appeared and fluffed about happily by my head. "I know a bit of first aide so I patched you up the best I could, no need to thank me. So let's get outta here, huh? Being attacked by monsters is such a drag!" she replied, helping me to my feet with a rough tug.

Everything hurt and all I wanted was to fall back down and never wake up again, but a stubbornness inside of me was determined to not die in a place like this. I wouldn't give the curse here the pleasure of adding me to its retinue of murderous spirits.

"Hey, Patty right? Is that a knife?" I asked, gesturing to the small scabbard that hung at her waist.

She blinked in surprise. "Why, yes, it is, but how did you know my na--"

"Can you do me a favor?" I asked, smiling.

\---

Getting out of the Hexagon was less of a hassle than I thought it'd be. Hobbled though I was, I felt battle hardened and had no problem dispatching enemies with a swift swing of my sword, left-handed even. Patty wasn't completely useless either. After having her skin the beast for me -- the Hexagoon, I dubbed him -- I had her use her knife work to help the three of us get out of there in mostly one piece. It took some team work; since I could apparently see far better than she could in the darkness and already knew which way to go, I lead the charge while she watched my back, cutting down any foe that sought to take on the wounded, easy prey. She only almost stabbed me twice.

"Phew! We're safe now, I guess. Ya know, I'm just not a dark ruins kind of gal!" Patty exclaimed once we made our way back into the sweet embrace of sunlight, stretching her lean arms high above her head.  

"Psh, me and you both." I agreed, holding my aching arm close to me and willing the taste of my blood out of my memories.

Eager to finally get to Angel Falls --  and to a proper bath -- I had little trouble convincing Patty to run ahead of me, promising she'd clear the roads of anything dangerous as I followed behind. That way I could make the journey back at my own pace, and Erinn would have her hands full with her guest instead of worrying about me, as she no doubt already was.

I shielded my eyes from the noon-day sun and huffed, not quite able to fully ease the tension out of my muscles. Glad to put the Hexagon behind me, I held Lanugo close and slowly began my way home -- tired, wounded, and feeling very pleased with myself.


	10. Could You Repeat That?

The sun had begun melting behind the horizon, saturating the sky in orange by the time Hugo saw me limping up the road. Relief flashed across his face but faded just as quick. Eyes wide, he shouted to me as he ran closer, brandishing a crude knife. "Altairis! Behind you!" Hugo squealed, frantically waving his blade at the space right behind my left shoulder where Lanugo hung in the air.

"No! Stop, Hugo!" I demanded as I grabbed his frail wrist, forcing the weapon to drop from his hand. "It's alright. His name is Lanugo, he's a friend." I explained with a tired, shaking voice.

Hugo didn't bother to hide his disbelief, and took a second to eye the fluffy cow-printed demon floating behind me before nodding. "Al-Alright." I let go of him. "If you say so, Altairis. It's just, you look like death and I know sanguini's like blood something awful. . ." he replied, his eyes wandering over to Lanugo once more.

"Y-Yeah, it's fine. . . Just. . ." I was consumed by exhaustion, and couldn't stop from sagging forward, the world tumbling all around me as I did.

Hugo caught me and quickly wrapped my arm around his neck for balance, then snaked his other hand around the small of my back, accidentally pressing hard against one of my broken ribs. I hissed in pain, but he didn't flinch away like I'd expected him to and instead kept his grip on me firm and sure.

"What happened to you? Didn't I tell you to be careful?" he asked as we made our way into the town proper, Lanugo keeping close to me. "Erinn's been in a state all day, you know."

I took my time explaining all that had happened since he had seen me leaving last night. I omitted parts here and there, partly because I didn't have much energy left for talking and partly because I didn't need anyone thinking I was a ghost seeing loony.

"Now that you mention it, a woman came barging through town just a while ago and dashed into the inn." Hugo replied after listening to my tale.

"Older, buxom woman with silver blue hair?" I wheezed.

Hugo looked away from me as he blushed. "She was, uh, quite attractive, actually, but the expression on her face was absolutely terrifying."

I tried to laugh, but it turned rough and awkward in my pain, never making it past my lips. "You think that's scary, you should have seen her skinning the beast I felled. She's a lot more than a pretty face." I winced, it hurt to talk so much. ". . .Hey, take me to the Inn, will you?" I asked with what I hoped was more smile than grimace.

"Of course!" he exclaimed, trying his best to pick up the pace without aggravating my injuries. "Erinn will help get you sorted, don't worry." he assured me, the quavering in his own voice betraying his worry.

As Hugo helped me towards the inn, we passed by Yvette and the young boy from the other day having a highly animated conversation. Noticing us, Yvette's expression turned from girlish delight to utter shock, and the two of them raced to our side. Their mouths were moving, but I couldn't focus enough through the settling haze of pain to understand what either were saying. I could only feel Hugo's voice rumble deep in his chest in reply, and through heavy lids, I saw the children scatter.

Soon it became too hard to keep lifting my feet, so Hugo practically drug me the rest of the way to the inn. Little to my surprise, as he opened the door, Patty was already there. She stood in the middle of the front room, cleaner than I had seen her before; her shiny, long hair was neatly combed and tied together close to the nape of her neck with a thick black ribbon, and while she couldn't have had the time to bathe, she had significantly less grime on her hands and arms. Her sharp eyes were scanning the inn's details while Erinn was in front of her desk, hands gripping the front of her spotless apron in worry, with a face to match.  

The two of them must have been in the middle of some discussion, but I could hardly hear their voices. I was too weak and hungry for sleep, too distracted by the enticing warmth of the fireplace and siren song of dreams to even care. Then I felt Hugo's chest rumble again, saying something to get the other's attention. As both faces turned toward me, I finally lost my will to fight the coziness of the inn any longer, and everything went black.

\----------

I woke to the pleasingly soft sound of Lanugo snoring, and the sweet smell of tiger lilies tickling my nostrils. The bright orange flowers sat on a small table across from where I laid freshly bandaged, and through the window behind it I could see that night had come in full while I slept. I knew it couldn't have been long however, as I still felt each pain as acutely as before. Not daring to sit up just yet with my ribs in shambles the way they were, I took shallow breaths and tried to will myself back to sleep. That's when I realized I wasn't alone.

"So when Dad was in Stornway, people used to call him the 'Inncredible Inntertainer'?" I heard Erinn say, her voice soft, confused.

"You better believe it, honey! He was the best of the best! He was only a young guy back then, but he set up his own inn from scratch and totally put his rivals out of business!" Patty's utterly confident voice declared, with no small amount of pride.

"Goodness! I can't imagine him being like that." Erinn exclaimed. "He always seemed so unadventurous to me, and he said he was happy to run even the smallest of inns as long as we were together." she trailed off weakly, as though choked by memories that hadn't surfaced in a long time. I couldn't see her face, but I could imagine it pretty well; her bright eyes unfocused and distant, her lips parted ever so slightly in thought as her head drifted to one side. . . Whenever I had seen that sad expression, I'd hear this very same tone in her voice.

Patty charged forward with the conversation, either unwitting or uncaring how it was effecting Erinn. "Yeah, that's the funny thing. . . Why would a guy like Edwinn choose to ship out to a hick town like this?" she said with a light sigh before  quickly moving on. "Well, I guess that's water under the bridge. The thing is, his old place in Stornway is in real trouble right now. We were all kinda hoping that the Inncredible Inntertainer would make a comeback and get things on track again. I just can't believe I didn't know he died two whole years ago. I mean, gee! I'm so sorry, honey." she finished, rather unconvincingly.

"Not at all. I'm just sorry that you came all this way for nothing." Erinn replied, stressing the last word ever so slightly.

I could practically hear the smile in Patty's voice. "Hey, no apology needed. I mean, I got to meet you instead, right? You're coming back with me to Stornway." she declared.

Something in my chest suddenly ached at the thought. Angel Falls without Erinn? Who did this woman think she was?

"Um. . . I'm afraid I don't think that's possible. I have my hands full with this place as it is." Erinn said, rushing to add, "And I just find it hard to believe that dad was some kind of legendary innkeeper."

Patty chuffed. "Hard to believe!? You can't argue with the facts, honey. And I can see you're a chip off the old block too. I've got a knack for seeing people's strengths, ya know."

I heard the sudden scrape of a chair, as if someone abruptly stood. "Oh dear. It's getting late and I really need to get started on supper. You'll have to excuse me." Erinn said, obviously uncomfortable with the direction of their conversation. As I heard the doorknob turn, she spoke again. "And please. . . I can't go to Stornway with you, so stop trying to talk me into it!" she shouted, tears staining her voice as the door shut equally loudly behind her.

It was disturbing to hear Erinn so upset. I couldn't understand why she was so affected either; if she didn't want to leave, all she had to say was no, right? I propped myself up onto my elbows, wincing at how the motion tugged at my wounds. That way I could see Patty as she stood at the door, one arm crossed around her waist, the other hand resting by her mouth and her distinct eyes half lidded in thought.

With a slight hiss, I twisted myself out from under the warm embrace of the covers, trying my best to not disturb Lanugo's rest. I was louder than I thought, as both Lanugo and Patty shifted their gaze my way in mild surprise. For his part, Lanugo didn't seem bothered, and bounded from the foot of the bed and landed in my arms, light as the head of a dandelion and twice as soft. I smiled, and shuffled stiffly into the inns entrance to greet Patty.

Her face shone in sudden recognition. "Hey. . . Yeah, I thought I recognized you. You're the dream team that helped me out back at the ruins. You look way worse than I remember!" she said, looking me over with a half smile. "But seriously, thanks again for that."

I wisely kept to myself how much I was starting to regret my decision.

Again, Patty crossed her arm and put her finger against her mouth in thought. ". . . You know, while you're in the helping mood, honey, you couldn't try to twist Erinn's arm for me, could you?" she said as innocently as a grown woman could. "I can't let that kind of talent go to waste. It'd be good for her too, you know?" she said as she gave me a practiced smile, steepling her fingers together underneath her chin. A portrait of girlish innocence, practically refined into weaponry.

All the same, such charms fell flat in my eyes. It wasn't hard to tell Patty was a single minded shark of a woman, interested only in getting what she's after and nothing more. And she's proven that she would use her looks, her connections, a young girls dead father, and the girl's injured friend to accomplish that. She was a far more fearsome individual than she would like others to believe. I. . . did not like her very much.

"I'll certainly go have a talk with her, don't you worry." I said quietly as I brushed past Patty and towards the door, Lanugo snuggly in my arms.

I heard a warm chuckle behind me as I left. "I never do, honey."

Scarcely a second after the door closed behind me, Ivor appeared, looking frazzled. "Hey, I saw Erinn trudging over to her house just a moment ago and she didn't look very happy. She was acting really odd, I said hello, but she didn't seem to hear me. What's going on?" he asked, clearly concerned. But before I could explain, his dark eyes grew wide as he reeled backwards and pointed a long, accusing finger at the furry bundle in my arms. "And just what in the Almighty's great bushy beard is that _thing_ doing inside the town!?" he demanded nearly a whole octave higher.

I gave him a tremendous sigh. "Didn't Hugo come by to explain or anything?"

He shrugged rather nonchalantly. "Well _sure_ he came by, but I didn't have the patience for whatever tosh he was going on about." he huffed. "What a crummy gatekeeper, letting in some airborne rodent like that. Who knows what kind of diseases it has." he said, squinting suspiciously at Lanugo's cheerful face.

"Well they let you into town so I wouldn't say the standards have dropped any." I quipped.

Ivor raised an eyebrow. "Wow, someone's got their sassy britches riding a little high today, don't they? You know, we do have rules about things like _that_ ," he said, pointing again at Lanugo, "for a reason. So explain yourself before I have you, Hugo and _it_ thrown into the wilderness where you all belong."

I grumbled, too tired to bully my way past him, and had a seat on the inn's step as I begun to recount the story I had told Hugo earlier, this time with Ivor casting an uncharacteristically harsh gaze down on me the entire time. He'd probably hate to hear it, but he looked remarkably like his father at the time.

As I recounted my tale, I put emphasis onto how helpful and sweet Lanugo had been, how adorably he had watched over me every time I was incapacitated, how very noble he was for a monster. I expressed in no unsure terms that had I _anyone_ I could trust and rely on to help me on this very grave favor for Erinn, then I probably wouldn't have taken so long or gotten so hurt, or run into Lanugo at all! But alas, I was just a lone minstrel doing what I thought was a favor for a friend, and was so desperate as to enlist the help of a monster on the way simply to survive.

All in all, I did my best to shame Ivor for not being there to help me help Erinn. It was unfair, I knew, since I could never drag someone into danger like that anyway, but if it helped him get off my back, I wasn't above exploiting his near hopeless feelings. I probably would have felt bad about such a tactic if it had actually worked.

"Stop." Ivor said, holding his hand up. "I see where you're going with this. You're terrible at telling stories, you know that? Absolutely no subtlety; you're an utterly rubbish minstrel."

A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. "Yeah, I guess I can't argue with that. But can't you understand?" I said more seriously. "He's a sweet little guy, and he's had plenty of chances to try snacking on people and he hasn't so, don't go trying to toss us out, alright?"

Ivor huffed and turned his head, relenting. "Sure, sure, whatever. Just be sure to keep him out of sight before everyone starts to panic. You do not want my father finding out about that. . . _thing_. Oh and," he said, leaning in close with a sinister little grin, "if I catch that flying diseased cow anywhere near my neck, I'm punting it into the fireplace and using the ashes to deodorize our cat box, understand?"

I hugged Lanugo tight to my chest and leaned as far away from Ivor as I could. " _Suuuure_ thing, friend. Uh, I think we're gonna go now. . ."

"Wait!" Ivor pleaded as he stepped back, dropping his threatening stance. "So, tell me what's going on with Erinn. It's about that Patty woman you rescued, yeah? What did she do?" he asked, his voice suddenly stony.

I explained what I had heard in the inn, and what Patty has asked me to do.

Ivor didn't take it well. "No way! That Patty woman's trying to recruit her? Surely Erinn wouldn't think of leaving here and going to live in Stornway!" he shouted, snapping his eyes around wildly as if looking for someone to agree with him and tell him how ridiculous the idea was.

I wished I could. I didn't want Erinn to leave, and least of all with a woman like Patty, but it wasn't going to be that simple. I rested a hand on Ivor's shoulder and tried my best to calm him down, but I couldn't bear to give him false hope. Instead, I excused myself and Lanugo, needing some time to think before I went to see Erinn. I. . . wasn't sure what I would say if she told me she really was thinking about leaving.

It shouldn't have bothered me so much, after all, I was planning on leaving eventually too. But the idea that at least _she_ would still be here watching out for everyone, watching out for people like Ivor and Hugo and Yvette, made me feel at ease. Made me feel less guilty about focusing on my own worries.

Though I was careful to keep my distance lest someone go into shock over Lanugo, I still heard snippets of gossip here and there as I made my way around town. The whole place was abuzz with talk of the mysterious new visitor at the inn. I suppose it was much the same as when I first arrived, although the talk about me was how I'd managed to make such a scene and almost get myself killed, the rumors swirling around Patty were about her uncanny beauty and possible connections to Erinn's father. The things said weren't entirely mean spirited, but some were hardly fair either.

_"Did you see that woman? Apparently she's some old 'friend' of Edwinn's. My imagination's running wild already!"_

_"That woman staying at the inn is a real beauty. Her name's Patty, apparently. Imagine marrying a woman like that! Hoohoo! I can hardly contain myself!"_

_"I can only assume she must be a friend of Edwinn's from his tim_ e _in Stornway. He never did talk much about the nitty-gritty of his life there."_

I wondered, could Erinn's father really have been involved with a woman like her? Even just as a friend or business partner? I didn't know the man, but the way people spoke of him made me imagine he was where Erinn got her gentleness and determination, and it was difficult to think of someone like that getting along with someone like Patty.

That was just it though, I didn't know Edwinn and I certainly didn't know Patty. I was just trying to convince myself Erinn wouldn't leave, rather pathetically. I knew that, and yet I still couldn't stop mulling it over in my mind like a selfish daydream.

"Hey!" I heard a youthful voice call out. I turned towards the sound to see the young boy Ivor and I had spoken to after we had gone to check the landslide. His bowl shaped hair had been trimmed since then, no longer covering his eyes in a curtain of brown strands. He didn't look upset with me like he had been when we last spoke, so I smiled and waved him over.

"Listen to this!" he demanded as he approached, his tiny hands balled into eager little fists at his side. "I saw you with something totally weird!" he accused.

I looked down at Lanugo and stammered. "A-ah, this is just a, uh, a stuffed t-toy! Nothing strange about that!" I assured him.

"Huh?" the little boy tilted his head in confusion, only then noticing the teeny sanguini in my arms. "Oh, cute!" he cried as he squeezed Lanugo's large, bat-like ears between his hands. "Ahahaha! It feels so real!" he said, beaming up at me.

To his credit, Lanugo didn't budge an inch, and calmly allowed the young boy to dig his hands into his fur, tug on his wings, and push against his teeny nose without complaint.

"Hey, I'm glad you like my, ah, _toy_ , but it's getting late, so you should probably run on home now, right?" I asked, hoping to rescue my furry friend without incident.

The boy looked around, realizing how dark it had gotten. "Oh! yeah, I guess so. Oh, but what about the pink light you had earlier? I really wanna see it again!" he said, determined.

I furrowed my brow in thought. "Pink light? I'm afraid I don't know what you mean."

He frowned. "A strange ball of light was flying around after you when Hugo brought you to the inn. I said something about it, but he said you needed rest so I waited till you were awake to ask you to show it to me. So please?" he pleaded in earnest, clearly unaware I had no clue what he was talking about.

I hadn't noticed anything like that, though I wasn't exactly in the right state to either. All the same, I was unhappy to let him down for a second time. "I'm sorry, but that light didn't belong to me. But maybe you'll see it again tomorrow night. You should go home and eat a big meal and get a lot of sleep so you'll be ready for it, right?" I said, attempting to soften the blow.

He instantly perked up in the way only children can truly manage and nodded vigorously as his eyes lit up like stars. "Right! And, and, I'll drink all of my milk tonight and eat all of my carrots even though they're evil, so nothing will get past me!" he declared before running off, ostensibly to be the perfect child. For a night, at least.

Confused and absolutely worn out, I began making my way back home, unable to avoid Erinn's answer much longer. I stopped at the center island and knelt down with a grimace. Lanugo gleefully hopped out of my arms and fluttered around the heavy spray at the foot of the fall as I dipped my hands into the river and began to drink. Once I had my fill, I leaned back on my hands and stretched my feet forward, watching my little winged friend have the time of his life dipping in and out of the water. I knew I should keep him on a shorter leash, but nearly everyone had turned in for the night and it was hard to resist letting him have his fun.

With a deflating sigh, I fell backward and laid out underneath the stars. They lit the night up in a wall of fire bright enough not to be outdone by the moon, and it comforted me. After all, they were the womb my people sprung from, and they were where I would return to at the end of all things. I hoped so, at least. Closing my eyes, I listened to the sounds of the night enveloping me; the roar of the waterfall, the low continuous chirping of insects, the gentle shift in the trees as the wind swept over the town. . . It was a very different place from the Observatory, so why couldn't I shake this feeling of nostalgia?

Wiping one exhausted tear from my face, I slowly sat up through clenched teeth and saw Lanugo paddling towards the edge of the little island. He was completely soaked, his fur hanging about him in long matted clumps like cow-print seaweed. "Oh, yikes. Come here you silly little thing." I chuckled, lifting him out of the water. Dejected that I refused to carry his soggy, spongy body, Lanugo was forced to waddle along the ground after me, too heavy to fly.

It didn't take long to reach Erinn's from there, though I kept my pace slow and deliberate for both mine and Lanugo's sake. What I saw when I got there however, stopped me cold.

There was a ghost. A very familiar one, in fact, staring at the front door, his incorporeal back turned to me. " _You._ " I seethed.

"Waaah! Y-you g-gave me a fright!" He exclaimed as he clamored and spun around to face me. "D-Don't do that again, will you?" he asked, one hand clutching his chest, where his heart used to be.

"Just what do you think you're doing creeping around people's houses, hm?" I asked, impatiently tapping one foot as I scowled at the man.

He opened his mouth to defend himself, but cut his excuses short. "W-wait a minute! You can see me!? But I'm dead!" he yelled, looking at me with horror, as if I were the strange one.

"Yes, _I_ _know._ " I said, hands on my hips. "It's a thing I can do, and this isn't even the first time we've met, or don't you remember tricking me into opening up a certain enormous beast infested dungeon, huh?"

The ghost composed himself and smiled apologetically. "I had a feeling that you saw me back at the Hexagon too. That's quite a strange talent you've got there. Ah, sorry, I haven't introduced myself, have I? I'm Erinn's father, Edwinn." he said, extending his hand out in greeting, only to awkwardly pull it back as he remembered he couldn't touch anything.

"E-edwinn?" I whispered. No wonder he looked familiar the first time I had seen him, it was hard to tell with his features shifting under the moonlight so readily, but it was there in his face that I could see her clearly. Erinn's nose, her chin, her cheekbones; they had all belonged to him first. "What. . . are you doing here?" I managed to say.

He reached a hand behind his neck and lowered his head "I fell ill two years ago and died suddenly. But as you can see," he said, gesturing to himself, "I still haven't managed to leave this mortal realm entirely. And you are?"

"Oh, right, how impolite of me. I am Altairis." I said with a slight bow as I tried my best to seem far more dignified than I currently looked.

"Ah, Altairis. . ? . . .Really? R-Really?" he began to stammer as worry washed over his features. "B-But. . . Altairis. . . Isn't that. . ? Aren't you the village Guardian?" he asked, as if it were the most impossible thing in the world.

I opened my mouth to answer him, but I was interrupted by a painfully shrill noise piercing the night. " _Hey! Hang on a minute!_ "

The noise was sudden and remarkably _loud,_ but I couldn't identify the source. Not until I looked up towards the sky and saw a curious bright pink light come crashing down towards me like a miniature comet and collide directly with my upturned face.

" _Ouch_!" we griped in tandem as the light hit me and recoiled back into empty space. The impact caused whatever veil that was in place to fade away and left something quite interesting behind.

She looked like a young woman; thin, with tanned skin and a thick head of golden blonde hair that was adorned with a vividly pink carnation nearly the size of her face. She had on a dress far more cosmopolitan than what the girls of Angel Falls would wear; a tight, loudly colored orange and yellow thing that laced up the front, with a matching pair of shorts that peeked out underneath the hem. Her legs were covered with delicate black stockings that rose to her thighs and at her feet were a pair of shiny matching pumps. Looped around her neck were many strands of brightly colored beads and from her back sprouted a pair of shimmering pink wings -- dainty as the petals of a flower. Most curious of all though was her body; she had the proportions of a young adult, just shrunk down to a third of the size. In all my studying, I had never seen anything quite like her.

"Oi! watch where you're flapping standing! I may be skinny as a rake, but I still need a bit of room for maneuvers!" she shrieked, narrowing her gold-flecked eyes in my direction.

Before I could find my voice again, she interrupted, one tiny hand resting on her hip in annoyance. "Never mind, I forgive you. Now, old man!" she said, suddenly shouting as she rounded on poor Edwinn. "What was that rubbish you were just sprouting?"

The ghost looked positively bewildered "I, er. . . I'm not sure what you mean."

The girl rolled her eyes with such force and drama her whole body moved with the motion. "You were on about Celestrians, right? I wondered the same thing at first, but this mess of a minstrel hardly foots the bill." she replied, gesturing towards me.

"Hey! I don't usually look this rough!" I argued, though ultimately ignored.

"I don't see a halo, do you?" the obnoxious twerp said as she floated above my head. "And I don't see any wings either." she continued as she buzzed around behind my back. "Bit odd for a Celestrian that, wouldn't you say?"

Edwinn looked at me in all of my bandaged and broken glory and frowned "I suppose you're right. . .Though, while we're on the subject of odd, who and what are _you_?" he asked.

She snorted as she laughed, hands on her hips in defiance. "Ha! Wouldn't you like to know?" she asked raising an eyebrow in our direction.

We stared back at her in silence.

". . .Yes, I suppose you would." she chuckled to herself. "Then I'd better introduce myself."

With a silly little twirl in the air, she rested her chin on the backs of her hands, large eyes glittering in our direction and kicked one foot up in a flourish as she gave us an exaggerated wink. "I am supreme, stupendous Stella, stunning skipper of the sky-soaring Starflight Express! Ta daa!" she said in an over the top voice, throwing her hands into the air, absolutely beaming with pride.

She was met with only the monotonous din of cicadas filling the night as Edwinn and I stared blankly at her.

My mind was reeling. She _couldn't_ have. Did. . . did she really just mention the Starflight?


End file.
